Appleseeds
by Maririn
Summary: 1.2, 3x4, 5xS As the human race struggles to survive in the colonies, non-genetically modified children are systematically eradicated. Heero & his colleagues race to find survivors. -updates resumed-
1. Prologue: AE  Glossary

_AN: Hey all who were kind enough to click on this story! Just a short note: This is my first foray into the world of fanfiction. I can't remember the last time I wrote for fun, but after reading so many great stories out there, I was bitten by the bug and this story idea just wouldn't leave me alone. This prologue got a bit long but with any luck it has set the stage. Hopefully some kind souls will come back and read this as I post further chapters. I'll be very gratefully for any CCs!_

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing is property of its rightful owners and I in no way assert any sort of claim over its characters and storylines. Everything non-Gundam Wing is mine.

Warnings: AU, violence, yaoi, language

Pairings: 1+2, 3x4, 5xS and others

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><p><em>The History of AE (After Earth: The Wretched Existence of the UNDIS<em>

It was inevitable; humankind had outgrown mother earth. All that remained was a hollow husk of what had once been a resplendent blue planet of life. For some time, humankind's superior intelligence was able to artificially sustain its existence. Sadly, technology could only delay the inescapable for so long. As it became apparent that human innovation was fast losing its edge, even the most obstinate could no longer turn a blind eye. It was clear as day, the human race was speeding towards extinction. And the cause: human overpopulation.

Wars broke out en masse as nations, even cities fought over dwindling resources. Cults convinced that humanity's only chance at salvation was death, 'liberated' thousands of souls through massacres. Secret underground organizations quietly 'euthanized' the weak, elderly and the homeless. Extremist groups slaughtered those deemed 'unworthy', and the deranged killed gleefully without restraint. Even the most docile and kind-hearted of individuals were forced to follow their baser instincts of kill or be killed.

In the end, through countless sacrifices, human civilization managed to regain its tentative hold on sanity and the frenzied bloodlust dissipated. All that was left, however, was a cheerless spectre of what once was a proud and glorious race. Not only had humankind suffered a horrifying blow, earth too had suffered greatly during the carnage. Mercifully, many had long ago predicted the demise of earth and had been steadily working towards a second home for human civilization.

In a joint effort by the survivors, the colonies were created. Large spherical settlements were launched into space to orbit the earth, complete with highly advanced life support systems. Within a matter of years, earth's remaining human population launched into space to embark on their venture of survival. This new era became known as _After Earth (AE)._

Although leaving mother earth was heart-breaking, fortune chose to grant the earth's former inhabitants once small reprieve: mother earth was not beyond saving. With time and her natural powers of self healing, earth would one day be capable of sustaining human life. With this ray of hope, these pioneers tackled their new life in the colonies.

Life in the colonies was hard and littered with obstacles. Due to the rushed exile into space, the colonies' infrastructures were unperfected, resulting in a constant battle against the perils of living in space. Tragedies were unavoidable, countless lives were lost when life support systems failed or diseases spread rampant in the completely enclosed colonies. As a result, the pioneers learned from their losses; by constantly upgrading the colonies and adapting their lifestyles.

As the survivors gradually adapted to life away from earth, the human population began to replenish itself and the dilemma of population capacity once again reared its ugly head. With the perils of over-population fresh in the pioneers' memories, strict population control measures were put in place. Pregnancies were rigorously regulated and required pre-approval. Although these measures provided a temporary solution, the challenge of limited resources and the frailty of life in the colonies continued to plague the inhabitants.

Before long, the creation of new life became even more tightly controlled. Conceptions were no longer left to chance; foetuses were screened for genetic defects. The right to bear children became a privilege and not a right. Couples were extensively screened when applying for marriage; many couples were partnered based on genetic makeup. Because only select were granted the right to reproduce, same-sex couples were often paired up to resolve living space constraints and discourage the conception of unapproved children.

By the second century AE, regulations and protocol surrounding the reproduction of human life had been highly refined. All embryos were manipulated to create ideal offspring, producing the "_Advantaged_": genetically advanced specimen of the human race, immune to disease and superior in both strength and intelligence. Unapproved and naturally conceived children were, upon discovery, taken from their parents and sent to live in special orphanages for the "_unauthorized disadvantaged"_ or the _UNDIS_.

Midway through the second century of AE, a new political movement swept through the colonies like wildfire. With the fear of over-population at the forefront of many people's minds, this organization called the "_Sanctity of the Advantaged", _or _S.A._ for short, was easily able to gain political control and immediately launched a crackdown on those couples who continued to argue that reproduction was a right granted to all. Although the S.A.'s actions were moderate at first, once their power was cemented, they began to execute their sinister goal: the eradication of the UNDIS.

At first the implementation of the S.A.'s goal was subtle. Life systems in UNDIS orphanages suddenly failed, outbreaks of fatal viruses proliferated through UNDIS population centres. Groups of UNDIS individuals were routinely round up and arrested on bogus charges. UNDIS inmates mysteriously disappeared from the prisons. Soon, propaganda painting dark pictures of the UNDIS was broadcast everywhere. It wasn't long before the S.A. began an outright culling of the UNDIS population.

Those who managed to escape the UNDIS annihilation fled to the bowels of the colonies, hiding in the sewers, vents and the outer structures of the colonies. They formed resistance groups, attacking government structures and assassinating S.A. leaders. The S.A. retaliated by enforcing martial law and creating highly specialized military units labelled the "Liberators". These S.A. Liberators were responsible for eliminating any unearthed UNDIS and those sympathetic to their existence. The registered population remained frozen in fear and ignorance, either believing that the UNDIS had brought this upon themselves or were too frightened of the wrath of the Liberators. It wasn't until the S.A. overextended its reach and struck down beloved humanitarian and community leader Heero Yuy that 'advantaged' citizens rallied en masse to overthrow the S.A.

As the colonies reeled from the assassination of Heero Yuy, support for UNDIS sympathizers surged and citizens fought back against the S.A. Respected leaders from the Peacecraft and Darlian families convinced many S.A. forces to mutiny and join their cause. In order to combat the fiercely loyal S.A. Liberators, an elite team of guerrilla soldiers called the "Gundam Ten" was established. After seven tense months of fear and uncertainty, the S.A. was finally unseated and the colonies returned to their peaceful existence to once again begin rebuilding their lives.

Although the ousting of the S.A. was sparked by the UNDIS issue, the fate of the UNDIS population remained unknown. Some speculated that there were no survivors; the S.A. Liberators were ruthlessly efficient in their massacres. Others believed UNDIS survivors had burrowed deep into the inner bowels of the colonies. A few even claimed to see figures climb out of the sewers and vents at night. The majority, however, were just relieved that peace had returned and never gave the UNDIS another thought.

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><p><em><strong>Glossary:<strong>_

**AE:** _'After Earth'._ The era that began after Earth was completely evacuated.

**Advantaged**: Individuals' whose genes were altered while still in embryo form. Their genes are screened for genetic defects, which are then eliminated, and receive the 'best' genes from both parents. 'Advantaged' are only born from government approved pairings. At present, only the advantaged populate the colonies.

**S.A.: **_'Sanctity for the Advantaged'._ A political/military group, that gained power during the mid-second century AE, who believed that UNDIS were a threat to the colonies with their 'defective' genes and systematically eradicated the UNDIS population.

**S.A. Liberators:** Military units under the command of the S.A. The Liberators were tasked with 'liberating' the human race from 'defective' genes, more specifically the UNDIS population. Their operations were covert at first, but soon turned to full out massacre of UNDIS populations.

**S.A. Liberators ELITE:** Highly trained soldiers within the Liberators often tasked with eliminating opposition against the S.A. and assassinating high-ranking public figures who were sympathetic to the UNDIS.

**S.A. Reborn:** UNDIS individuals who were recruited by the S.A. and officially 'pardoned.' They worked as spies and informants against the UNDIS. They were later exterminated by the S.A.

**UNDIS: **_'Unauthorized Disadvantaged'._ Individuals conceived naturally without any genetic screening or authorization by the government. Under S.A. rule, UNDIS children were taken from their parents and placed in special orphanages. When they reach adulthood, they were given menial jobs and quarantined from the rest of the population. They are widely believed to no longer exist.

**Rebels:** Individuals who fought against the S.A. Their ranks consisted mainly of UNDIS who had fled underground although a few 'advantaged' joined their cause.

**Preventers:** A volunteer military unit that protected the 'advantaged' public against the S.A.; now an official peacekeeping force.

**Gundam Ten:** A super-elite group of guerrilla soldiers who fought to take down Liberator cells and overthrow the S.A. Not much is known about this group, their name is believed to come from their distinctive body armour and the number in their unit. Heero Yuy is the only publicly known member of the Gundam Ten.

**Sweepers: **A loosely-interconnected group of salvagers, known widely for their great technological prowess and numerous inventions. They travel around space, collecting debris and searching for new supplies of resources as well as maintaining the working order of the colonies and resource satellites. Headed by Howard, they are rumoured to be responsible for supplying the Gundam Ten with their armour and weapons, as well as one of the founding entities of the Preventers.


	2. Episode One: Celebrations

**DISCLAIMER:**I do not own Gundam Wing. No monetary profit is being made from this story.

_Episode One: Celebrations of Death & Survival (December 24, 279 AE)_

"My fellow citizens, peace has been won."

Relena Darlian-Peacecraft paused for the smattering of applause and scanned the crowds. The people filling the ceremonial square looked worn and uneasy, the tense fear and uncertainty that had plagued the colonies for the past seven months still fresh in their minds. She had no doubt that the people watching her speech on the various public widescreens and at home on their monitors were in a similar state of mind. Taking a deep breath, Relena smoothed down her demure white suit and prepared to rally her people's spirits. After all, this was what she had been bred and groomed for; she was Relena Darlian-Peacecraft, heir to two of the most influential surviving families, and she had handpicked the hero who would uplift the people's spirits.

Relena took another deep breath and checked her elation. It would not do to reach the emotional peak of her public address too quickly. Exhaling, she pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin high.

"For far too long, fear and military force have ruled the colonies, but no more! An era of peace is upon us. We will move forward together as a peaceful civilization, military reign has no place in our future!"

Another pause for effect, and the beginnings of a small smile, "From now on, we will advance hand in hand with compassion in our hearts."

"We will move forward together," Relena breathed softly, a glisten in her eye. "We will move forward together towards a bright future of peace and prosperity!"

Relena allowed her smile to widen as approval and the beginnings of joy began to ripple through the crowd. Making sure to perform a wide sweep of the square and make eye contact with all the broadcasting cameras, she allowed more of her joy to shine through and prepared to make her grand reveal.

"I am extremely pleased, to announce the foundation of a new organization that will protect and foster our bright future. I present to you the _Preventers_, a non-military peacekeeping force who will ensure our safety and prosperity."

Hushed whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowds, some apprehensive, others curious. Thousands of eyes scanned the stage, studying the figures in shadow behind Relena's podium. Relena allowed herself a quick glance out of the corner of her eye at one of the silent figures behind her, her heart pounding in anticipation. 'Only a few more moments,' she thought.

"My esteemed citizens, may I present to you the head of our new illustrious organization, Ms. Lucrezia Noin!" A tall dark haired woman dressed in ceremonial court dress complete with tall boots and a long silk frock coat stepped out from behind Relena and politely shook her hand, a tight-lipped but gentle smile upon her face.

Allowing Noin a moment to acknowledge the small cheers and applause of the crowd, Relena snuck another glance behind her. Then, finally permitting the full force of her elation to shine through, Relena stepped closer to the microphone.

"It is also a great honour to present to you today, the hero who protected us from the terrors of the _Liberators_ and single handedly ended the S.A.'s tyranny. Named in memory of a great leader and one of the illustrious members of the _Gundam Ten_, I give to you, my personal pillar of strength, HEERO YUY!"

A lean figure of medium height stepped into the spotlight, standing at ease in his olive and dark blue jacket emblazoned with the _Preventers_ logo and matching deep blue slacks. A messy head of dark brown hair partially masked a slightly furrowed brow and intense blue eyes narrowed in a glare. A hushed awe fell over the crowd as they gazed upon the man before them, a member of the elite _Gundam Ten_ who had remained shrouded in mystery. With a radiant smile, Relena stepped away from the podium and boldly took the young hero's arm.

The spell from the initial shock broken, the crowd erupted into a symphony cheers, rapturous applause and whistles. Taking her place at the vacated podium, Noin waited for the cheers to subside. Searching the crowd, she found the figure she sought, obscured in the shadows near the back of the crowd. She locked gazes with icy blue and took strength from the encouragement she saw in those eyes. Hearing the cheers die down, Noin brushed back a lock of her short dark hair and turned to face the crowd and the sea of cameras. Making sure that her voice carried, but was not overly loud, Noin began her first public speech as the head of the _Preventers_ organization.

Gazing at blissfully at Heero's strong profile, Relena tightened her grip on his arm with a happy sigh. Next to her, Heero kept his gaze firmly on the crowd, not sparing her a glance. Unmindful of Heero's lack of response, Relena let her mind wander into happy little daydreams of her personal saviour, Heero Yuy. A slight hissing sound permeated her blissful haze, accented by the tensing of Heero's muscles and a discrete nudge. Jarred back into the present, Relena glanced to the wings of the stage where her assistant Dorothy Catalonia was frantically trying to gain her attention, her forked eyebrows dancing with her efforts. Relena raised a questioning brow, and Dorothy gestured at Noin and pointedly lowered her head.

"…we cannot let ourselves forget the sacrifices made and the tragedy of lives lost. I ask that we have a moment of silence to remember those no longer with us today. Let them never be far from our thoughts."

Snapping back to the present, Relena hurriedly bowed her head and clasped her hands above her heart for good measure. Her cheeks tinting with the folly of losing herself in her daydream, Relena prayed that no one else had seen her misstep. At her side, Heero remained silent, his gaze turned upward towards the artificial blue sky, a hint of mournfulness reflected in his eyes.

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><p>Deep within the infrastructural bowels of the L1 colony, another pair of eyes was turned upward. Deep violet contemplated the condensation on the network of pipes snaking along the tunnel ceiling. Soft light from a single small monitor reflected off the water, creating playful patterns along the walls. Lounging on the floor, head resting on arms folded behind his head, the figure sighed deeply.<p>

"A moment of silence eh? Try a lifetime of silence!"

In a fit of anger, the figure flung himself forward into an upright sitting position and glared at the screen. With brows drawn low over his eyes, he scanned the image on the screen, the so-called couple of the future.

"Hero of the people huh?" he spat angrily. "And there's the perfect dove of peace, blushing oh so prettily next to her prince. Well la dee dah! Good fortune to you all. After all, you _earned_ it didn't you?" he mimicked in a snobbish voice.

Giving a dark chuckle, he continued. "She's nothing compared to ya Hilde. So dainty, no spunk to her at all! As for him… he looks like he's got the personality of brick. Yup, none of the ole Solo charm."

With slumped shoulders he whispered, "No one _up there_ has got anything on any of y'all. Not a single damn one. Don't y'all dare forget that!"

With silent grace, the figure got to his feet and slunk down the empty tunnel, leaving the televised echo of the celebrations above far behind.

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><p>Once again safely ensconced within her private quarters, Relena lightly kicked off her heels and sunk gratefully into her sofa cushions. With a deep sigh of relief, she unbuttoned her fitted blazer and worked the kinks out of her shoulders. Today had taken a lot out of her. Despite her confident demeanour and her natural grace in the public eye, moments spent with only her thoughts for company often lead to self-doubt and misgivings. Now that it was over, Relena doubted that all her preparing and rehearsing had been enough. Had her facial expressions been genuine enough? Had her enunciation been clear enough? Had she made enough eye contact with both the cameras and the crowd?<p>

With a start, Relena sat up with a gasp. Oh no! What of her slip up with Heero during the moment of remembrance? With a groan, she slumped back into the cushions, lightly banging her head against the sofa's soft padding.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts and she sat up, hurriedly straightening her honey blonde hair. "Come in!" Relena called out breathlessly while slipping her shoes back on.

"Oh Ms. Relena, you were absolutely wonderful today!" Dorothy Catalonia gushed, as she entered with a small tray of tea, biscuits and fruit.

"Oh… Dorothy, it's you."

"I'm sorry Ms. Relena. Were you expecting someone else? Perhaps a certain dark and handsome gentleman with those smouldering blue eyes…?" Dorothy teased.

Predictably, Relena blushed and stammered in reply, "Of course not! I wasn't expecting… well it's not like he wouldn't… Oh NO! Don't remind me!" Relena finished with a wail. "How mortifying, I completely disgraced myself at the ceremony!"

"Now, now Ms. Relena," Dorothy soothed, "You were magnificent! And that moment when you stepped next to him and took his arm, it was genius!"

"Really?"

"Of course Ms. Relena! There's nothing as uplifting as the sight of a beautiful young couple, and you looked so perfect together!" Dorothy praised.

Relena's rosy blush intensified and she lowered her gaze, spotting the tray Dorothy had set down on the wooden side table. "Oh! Fresh berries! And cream!" she exclaimed happily.

Dorothy's cat-like smile widened. "Yes Ms. Relena, a gift flown in by express just for you. You have gained many admirers Ms. Relena. No doubt there are many who will support your political debut."

"So soon?" Relena queried with some trepidation, her fingers reaching for a particularly juicy strawberry.

"You underestimate yourself Ms. Relena. And with a handsome young hero at your side, nothing would be out of your grasp!" Dorothy declared with certain gleam in her eye.

"Heero…" Relena breathed, her eyes taking on the same dreamy quality as they had earlier that day.

A curt knock at the door interrupted her before she could be swept away into another daydream. "Come in!" she called absently.

The door opened to admit the very subject of her dreams. Heero Yuy stepped into the room with a slight nod of acknowledgement to Dorothy and turned to face Relena.

"There you are," Relena smiled brightly. "Will you be attending the Peace Ball tonight? You will won't you? Oh, you must escort me down the grand staircase, after-"

"Relena" Heero interrupted firmly. He glanced briefly at the plump strawberry in her hand and returned his polite gaze back to her face.

"Yes?" Relena whispered.

"I will be leaving now to go back to headquarters. Ms. Noin will remain on the premises and will accompany you to the ball for your safety."

"…Oh" Relena sighed, unable to hide her disappointment.

"Must you return now?" Dorothy asked archly. "I'm sure you can spare an evening to escort Ms. Relena to the ball. Everyone is so looking forward to meeting you in person."

"No."

"No?" Dorothy parroted back, arching a forked brow. "The public expects y-"

"The public is still disordered an-"

"All the more reason for you to make an appearance!" Dorothy argued vehemently.

Heero focused his glare on Dorothy and bit out "The S.A. may have been unseated from power but not everything has been resolved. There are still many urgent matters that need attending too."

"Like what?" Relena asked, trying to dispel the rising tension in the room.

Heero returned his attention to Relena, his glare softening. "There are still pockets of S.A. loyalty, and not all _Liberators_ have been accounted for. There is also the matter of UNDIS survivors."

"But I thought the UNDIS were all dead!" Relena exclaimed before she realized that she had spoken.

Heero's mouth tightened unhappily, "There is reason to believe that there are survivors. They need to be located quickly."

"Oh no…" Relena whispered, "Are we in danger?"

"No." Heero's glare returned, "But they are in danger of expiring if we do not find them soon."

Heero turned to the door. Once again his gaze strayed to the strawberry clutched in Relena's fingers before giving a polite bow and making his exit.

Hearing the soft click of the door closing, Relena dropped her eyes to her lap, noticing her forgotten strawberry. Remembering Heero's covert glances at the fruit and Dorothy's earlier statement about the fruit being a gift from an admirer, her spirits lifted. 'Could it be?' She asked herself, 'Oh Heero…'

Off to the side, Dorothy stared off into space with a look of horror on her face. 'They survived? It can't be! It just can't be!'

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><p>Thousands of feet below her, a lone figure slunk along the myriad of tunnels, whistling a lonely tune.<p>

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><p><em>AN: Thanks for reading! Hopefully this first chapter doesn't disappoint too much. I never realized that Relena would be such a hard character to write! Hopefully things will start getting better once the boys take center stage. <em>


	3. Episode Two: Dishonourable Tactics

_AN: Thank you for the reviews! I have to say, it's pretty awesome to wake up to them first thing in the morning. I noticed some formatting glitches in the previous chapter! Sorry, it should be slightly easier to read now. Ok, now for the next chapter. Hopefully it won't disappoint and will keep you coming back for more!_

**Disclaimer: **Gundam Wing is the property of those far more accomplished and richer than I am.

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><p><em>Episode Two: Dishonourable Tactics (December 24, 279 AE)<em>

In the darkening colony lights, Heero Yuy quickly made his way out of the ornamental government districts, his footsteps silent on the cobblestone paths. Leaving behind the impressive towering brick and marble structures, the walkways narrowed and shifted into plain stone tiles. Still within the polished administrative center of the L1 colony, he made a sharp turn around a corner and headed towards a square brick building. Although nondescript in its design – lacking the sweeping columns and arches of the other governmental buildings – it was still impressive in its size and wrought iron fencing.

Bypassing the imposing main gate, Heero quietly ducked behind one of the stone lions flanking the corners of the iron fence and made his way down a hidden alleyway. Pausing momentarily at a smaller gate, he quickly swiped an ID card and pressed his thumb against a small scanner subtly attached to one of the iron rails. After a small beep the gate swung open and Heero walked through, continuing into the shadows lining the brick building's exterior.

Ducking into another hidden entranceway, Heero made his way down a set of well-worn stone steps and swiped his card and thumb over another cleverly hidden scanner. Pushing the door open after the small click of the lock, Heero disappeared into the lower levels of the building, the door silently closing behind his retreating figure and once again blending into the shadows.

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><p>Relena studied her reflection in the mirror, considering the flowing fabric of her pale blue ball gown. Unable to keep her hands still, she fidgeted with the cascading diamond necklace, adjusting the strands to fall just above the sweetheart neckline of her gown. Behind her, Dorothy absently brushed Relena's long honey locks as she stared vacantly out the window.<p>

"Are you sure I shouldn't wear the dark blue one?"

"Hmm?" Dorothy responded, her mind seemingly a million miles away.

Noticing Dorothy's preoccupied tone, Relena glanced at Dorothy's reflection in the mirror. Behind her bare shoulder, Dorothy absently held a lock of her hair in one hand, brush in the other, her attention seemingly focused on something outside. Craning her neck, Relena tried to see what it was that had captivated her faithful assistant's attention. From the small but elegant French windows, Relena could see Peacecraft Hall with its towering marble pillars, ornate friezes adorned with doves and awe-inspiring three tier fountain. Feeling her heart swell with pride as she gazed upon her family's famous ceremonial hall – that could only be described as the colony's prized jewel – she watched as people, dwarfed by the awesome size of the hall, streamed up the sweeping marble steps leading into the official entrance. Seeing nothing out of place, Relena returned her attention to her dazed friend.

"Dorothy?"

Snapping out of her trance, Dorothy met Relena's wide blue eyes with her own narrower, hawk-like gaze.

"Is something troubling you?"

Flicking a strand of her hip-length platinum hair behind her, Dorothy firmly pushed her worries aside. "I'm sorry Ms. Relena. I had a late night with all the final preparations and I'm afraid it's catching up to me. Don't worry yourself though Ms. Relena, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Relena queried uncertainly.

"Of course my dear Ms. Relena. In fact, now as the hour of the ball approaches, I feel my energy returning already. Tonight is destined to thrilling, especially since you will be rightfully assuming your place as head of the Peacecraft family!"

Relena squirmed lightly at Dorothy's proclamation, her fingers automatically running over her full skirt to smooth out imaginary wrinkles. "Dorothy, _he_ still might return you know…"

"Nonsense Ms. Relena, _he_ made his decision perfectly clear when he abandoned his public duties. Now, Ms. Relena, what was that about the navy dress?" Dorothy deftly changed the topic.

"Are you sure it won't be more suitable? After all, there will be memorial ceremony at tonight's ball, people might be insulted by the colour of-"

"Nonsense Ms. Relena! This ball is to celebrate the future with hope and joy. If you're still worried about this afternoon, don't worry yourself Ms. Relena, I assure you no one noticed!"

Seeing Relena continue to hesitate, Dorothy made a show of looking at the ornate grandfather clock next to the door and exclaiming, "Would you look at the time! Ms. Relena, we really must hurry. I'm sure your guard will be arriving any minute now."

Right on cue, a knock sounded at the door and Lucrezia Noin stepped into Relena's dressing room with a formal bow. She was still dressed in her formal court wear although her coat had been replaced with a longer and more embellished frock coat of dark emerald and a ceremonial sword hung from her hip.

"Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft, we should be heading for the ceremony soon. If you would allow me escort both yourself and Ms. Catalonia?"

"How very thoughtful of you Ms. Noin," Dorothy practically purred. Taking a moment to rearrange her own deep crimson skirts, Dorothy took a gentle hold of Relena's elbow and deftly manoeuvred her down the stairs towards the walkway that connected the official Peacecraft residence to the ceremonial hall.

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><p>Violet eyes snapped open as their owner reacted to the sharp nip at his foot. With lightening reflexes he grabbed the being responsible for the attack as a shrill squeal echoed through the tunnel. Bringing his hand up to view the offender, the figure smirked at the struggling rat.<p>

"Hey hey now, I'm not quite dead yet. It's a bit too soon to be making of meal outta me. Where are your manners?" he admonished while staring into beady little eyes.

"Hmm… in fact, _you_ would make an excellent meal for _me_. I think it's my lucky day, you look nice and plump," the figure noted as his eyes roved over the struggling animal. Feeling the soft squishiness of the rodent's midsection, his eyes narrowed as he studied his prey's belly intently.

Stilling his breathing, the figure cocked his head and listened intently. 'Ah, so I didn't imagine that,' he thought to himself. Pushing himself upright, he silently made his way down the tunnel, stopping every couple of steps to listen and scan the shadows, the struggling rodent still grasped firmly in his hand. Spotting a section of broken pipe, he crouched down next to it, nodding to himself in satisfaction.

"That's quite the litter of pups you have there lil' mother," he whispered, gently releasing the rat who hurriedly scrambled towards her babies. "I'm feeling generous, today being a day of celebration and all. And those pups need you more than I do."

The figure sat himself down next to the rat's nest, the mother placing herself between him and her offspring, teeth and claws ready to defend to the death. Keeping an eye on the hostile rat, the figure reached carefully into a jacket pocket and withdrew a thick slip of embellished paper.

"In fact lil' mother," the figure continued his one-sided conversation with his rodent companion, "I think I have a present for you."

Gently placing the card in front of the rat he turned his eyes upward, "It's a formal invitation to the Peace Ball, well, half of one anyway. Can you imagine the gall? Wasting precious resources to make invitations? And I've never seen paper that thick before. The guy that ripped up the invitation must be an ass too… mutilating a decadent luxury like that. And get this, lil' mother. I think it was our _illustrious_ hero that tore it up!"

The figure rocked with laughter, ending in a hacking cough. "See the –UY? There's hundreds of those 'privileged' that could have been invited. But I only know one family name that ends in UY! And it's spelt Y-U-Y!" he finished in a singsong voice.

Glancing over at his audience, he noted that the rat's maternal instincts had overcome her fear and he smiled as he watched the rodent efficiently shred the invitation and create a cozy nest for her litter.

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><p>"If it isn't Mr. Heero Yuy, the broodingly handsome hero of the colonies!"<p>

"Can it 05!" Heero growled at the smirking man lounging with his back to a massive array of screens. Dressed in the same _Preventers_ garb as Heero, minus the tie, Wufei Chang's tracked his colleague's approach with slanted coffee-coloured eyes before swinging his chair back towards the myriad of screens.

"Not my words, my friend, but the words of hundreds of swooning girls, posted all over netsphere," Wufei chuckled before adding, "And it's Chang or Wufei now. We're not using our old designations anymore, remember?"

"Yes, those designations have become classified material; privy to only those with the highest clearance."

Wufei spun his chair around to face the second entrance to the room, "Dammit Barton! Don't you ever make any noise? Stop sneaking around and eavesdropping like that."

The tall man leaning against the doorframe shrugged his shoulders elegantly, "Sorry Chang, force of habit. If you hadn't been so engrossed in reading gossip newsfeeds about our _revered_ colleague you would have noticed me come in."

Trowa Barton made his way into the room, his one visible eye glinting with mischief, neatly stepping around a glaring Heero and leaned over Wufei's chair to study the various newsfeeds littering the screens. "You've been very busy I see," he mused, "Here's a spicy one: 'Heero Yuy, Relena Darlian-Peacecraft's secret _pillar'. _No wonder you were so distracted Wufei."

"I was not," Wufei snarled back, "I've been sorting through those files you gave me for the past 14 hours, excuse me taking a small break. Besides, it was that damn woman's fault, sending me the links, that distracting, meddling-"

"Who's a distracting, meddling damn woman? I hope you're not referring to _me_."

Wufei yelped and jumped from his chair to face the basement office's newest occupant.

"That's twice now," Trowa murmured to Wufei before smoothly evading the line of fire to stand beside Heero.

"Shut up!" Wufei muttered irritably before clearing his throat to address the woman idly rolling a thick twist of sandy hair around her index finger. "If you recall, it was you who filled my inbox with all that gossip mongering!"

Sally Po laughed lightly at Wufei's irritated expression and turned her attention to Heero. "Well, I just couldn't resist. You looked _so_ handsome on that stage, especially with that beautiful girl on your arm. Speaking of which, why aren't you at the ball? She did send you a personal invitation after all."

"Escorting a girl to an irrelevant ball is not an efficient use of my time."

"Not entirely. Your presence could have cemented some support for the Preventers, we could always use more funding, especially since I feel like we're going to need it," Sally quipped back.

"Noin has that under control. She is far more suited to politicking than I am."

"That's very true," Sally conceded, "glaring at dignitaries and calling them spineless idiots won't make them sympathetic to our cause. Still, I feel sorry for Lu, fending for herself considering her situation, e_specially_ since the ball is taking at Peacecraft Hall."

"She's perfectly capable of fulfilling the requirements of the mission."

"It's not a mission Heero, nothing in politics is as straightforward as a 'mission'." Wufei corrected, "But she'll have to get used to the meddling curiosity of those dishonourable people now that she's the head of the Preventers. At least she's one of the few _capable_ women in all of the colonies."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that one Wufei," Sally gave Wufei a glowering look before turning her attention back to Heero. "Speaking of women, Relena's a lovely girl wouldn't you say Heero? And she seems to be quite smitten with you too. It wouldn't have hurt to have escorted her to the ball, if only for an hour or so. "

Heero shifted uncomfortably before muttering, "She was eating berries."

Three pairs of eyes widened, wondering if they had heard him correctly, and if so; why the eating habits of the young lady in question seemed to make Heero so uncomfortable.

"She is from a very affluent family…" Wufei made tentative stab in the dark, "I'm sure she would have shared?"

"That is irrelevant," Heero scowled, "She was in possession of _the_ strawberries, blueberries _and_ blackberries."

Trowa raised his visible eyebrow as he noted the seeming emphasis on those particular berries. Exchanging looks of bafflement and concern with Wufei, he asked, "_The _berries? Anything special about those three berries in particular?"

"Never mind," Heero growled. Abandoning the subject he turned to Sally and snapped, "Have you finished those tests yet?"

Throwing a swift glance towards the other two, Sally indulged Heero in his efforts at changing the topic and held up a thin tablet, lightly tapping the screen to turn it on. "As a matter of fact, that's why I came here in the first place."

"And…?"

"Well, I re-ran the male blood sample through the classified S.A. databases that Trowa gave me, and still no match."

"What of the other test I asked you to run?" Trowa and Wufei glanced at each other worriedly as they noted Heero's tense posture and tightly clenched fists.

"I don't know how on earth you knew," Sally began while referring to her tablet, "but you were right. The sample contained QR145 antibodies."

"QR145?" Wufei asked, "I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."

"It's the code for one of the weaponized viruses the S.A. used to exterminate the UNDIS," Trowa spoke up solemnly. "It was a vicious disease that literally dissolved the internal organs, particularly the digestive organs, causing them to release hydrochloric acid into the bloodstream. If the victim didn't die from organ failure, they died from having their blood curdled within their very veins. Because of the virus's malicious design, death was slow and painful."

"Dishonourable fiends!" Wufei spat, "They had to be insane to release something like that into the general public! A virus like that could have killed an entire colony."

"I don't know very much about the virus either," Sally stated, "but I was able to determine, by examining the antibodies in the sample, that the virus would have had a very low level of contagiousness. The files Trowa gave me also indicated that the virus could only be transferred through direct injection into the bloodstream or direct blood to blood contact."

"Even so, how did they keep it contained? _And_ keep the public unaware?" Wufei demanded.

"By the time they employed the QR145 virus, the UNDIS had been effectively quarantined from the rest of the population. The virus was delivered to them under the guise of a cure for an influenza virus that the S.A. covertly contaminated the UNDIS population with, one that all regular citizens were immune against." Trowa sighed, "The S.A. tricked the UNDIS into performing their own executions."

"I knew it must have been something deadlier than a simple influenza virus," Sally nodded sadly, "Despite what the S.A. wanted to the public to believe, I highly doubted that UNDIS immune systems were as frail as they were made out to be."

"Was it possible to survive this virus? Was there a cure?" Wufei asked quietly.

"No," Trowa replied, "but there was a vaccine. All S.A. members and Liberators were vaccinated."

"So that blood Sally analyzed is from an S.A. member?" Wufei questioned heatedly. "But, if there was no match in the files then that could only mean… a black ops member so covert that they aren't even recorded? Or someone even higher up in the S.A. command chain. Then that woul-"

"No!" Heero cut in sharply. "The blood sample is an UNDIS sample."

* * *

><p>Lucrezia Noin wearily shifted her weight to her other foot, trying to appear attentive as she discreetly scanned the crowds for trouble. Finding none, she returned her attention to Relena as she spoke to the large crowd of her fawning admirers. She sincerely hoped that Relena would be one of the very few who would remain immune to power's corrupting influence within the world of cutthroat politics.<p>

Seeing a flash of crimson swiftly making its way towards her, Noin groaned inwardly. Her night was about to get much, much worse.

"There you are Ms. Noin," Dorothy Catalonia smiled slyly, a bearded man following in her wake. "I have been telling my grandfather that he absolutely must make your acquaintance. Grandpapa, this is Ms. Noin, head of the Preventers and Ms. Relena's temporary guard tonight."

Noin bowed respectfully to the elderly, broad-shouldered man. "It is an honour to meet you Duke Dermail."

Politely extending his hand for a handshake, Dermail gazed down at Noin, his stern eyes studying her intently. "Likewise Ms. Noin. I have wanted to meet you for some time now. Unfortunately certain… _circumstances_ seemed to have prevented our meeting until now."

Hiding her indignation at his none too subtle barb, Noin smiled back politely, uttering the socially required expressions of dismay and regret. Running her own critical eye over the man, she observed his commanding presence and the aura of power that seemed to permeate from every pore of his being. With growing consternation, she concluded that Duke Dermail would indeed most likely become a key player in the newly forming government. Although Noin and her fellow Gundam Ten members had always suspected Dermail of being a secret supporter of the S.A., they had never been able to find any definitive proof.

"And where is your wayward husband tonight? I would like to speak to him as well."

At Noin's involuntarily flinch, Dorothy admonished her grandfather. "Grandpapa, it's not _husband_ but _companion_, remember? All couples are now equal and must be reflected as such."

"Oh yes, how thoughtless of me, do forgive me Ms. Noin," Dermail apologized while stroking his aristocratically trimmed beard, "I do get so forgetful in my old age."

"No apology necessary Duke," Noin replied as she frantically schooled her features into a polite mask. "Regretfully, at the moment, my companion is engaged in other matters and unfortunately cannot attend to any of his public duties."

"Is that so," Dermail responded with false sympathy. Having already delivered sufficient tongued barbs, he steered the conversation into another direction.

"I understand congratulations are in order. It is quite an honour to head such a prestigious _new_ organization. It also must be quite the burden to shoulder. If I could ever be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me."

"Thank you for your generous offer. Fortunately, I have a very dedicated group of agents helping me get the Preventers up and running."

"Ah yes," a predatory gleam entered the Duke's eyes, "I understand some of the former members of the illustrious Gundam Ten are among the agents at your command, including Mr. Heero Yuy. Where is he tonight?"

"Agent Yuy's presence was required back at headquarters to deal with a time sensitive matter."

"Is that so?" Dermail seemed unconvinced. "I was lead to believe he was Ms. Relena's personal bodyguard."

"Agent Yuy has served as a guard to Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft in the past, but he has not been formally assigned as her permanent guard."

Seeing that Noin was going to remain tight-lipped about the matter, he returned to an earlier inquiry. "What of the other nine members of the Gundam Ten. When will we be able to make their acquaintance?"

With some of her rising irritation seeping into her tone, Noin tried to reply as neutrally as possible. "We have decided it would be prudent to keep the identity of the surviving members of the team from public record. It would allow my agents to operate more efficiently and would keep their families from harm's way. Agent Yuy only agreed to reveal his identity in order to settle public unrest and under the strict agreement that all the others' identities would remain undisclosed. I trust you understand?" The last was gritted out more harshly that she would have liked.

Knowing he would glean nothing more from their meeting, Dermail politely excused himself and left an angry Noin behind with granddaughter in tow. "How is the girl progressing in her simpering adoration of that boy?" he demanded while weaving through the crowds.

"Quite well grandpapa. She is absolutely smitten."

"Good. I want you to keep working that angle but I also have a new assignment for you. I want you to find out as much as you can about the Gundam Ten. That woman mentioned that the team had lost some of their members. I want to know how many they lost, who survived, EVERYTHING! That girl may prove useful in this task. You will come through for me won't you Dorothy?

"Of course Grandpapa. But we have an even greater problem. I have it on good authority that some of the UNDIS survived."

"They WHAT? They were supposed to have been completely eliminated. The Liberators tracked down every last one of that vile scum and terminated them. How could this be?"

"I don't know Grandpapa. UNDIS records were not complete. Perhaps a few escaped notice?"

"I don't care for your idle speculations. I want facts. Find them for me!"

"Yes Grandpapa."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Ok, I know I promised the boys would be featured more prominently in this chapter but Relena is relentless! Funny since I'm not a huge fan of her character. Still… she is crucial to the story I suppose. All the boys will be in the next chapter, I promise! <em>


	4. Episode Three: Shinigami

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gundam Wing.

_AN: So... another chapter! This story has seriously been kicking my butt. I have point A, and point Z but everything in between is still jumbled. Still, this story won't leave me alone and I've started jotting notes in the most random of places. Hopefully there won't be too many plot holes, I'm keeping an eye out for those!_

_I have to give a special thanks to Snowdragonct who's kindly reviewed twice already! Super giddy that such an amazing writer is reading my humble story. Need to catch up on my Smoky Hills reading this weekend! If you haven't read it yet, go read it now!_

_And a big thank you to everyone who keeps reading. As always, C&Cs are super helpful!_

* * *

><p><em>Episode Three: Shinigami (December 24, 279 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>"<em>UNDIS<em>!" Wufei exclaimed loudly.

"Are you sure?" Trowa asked in a much quieter tone.

"What about the antibodies?" Wufei demanded. "Trowa said there is no cure. How could an UNDIS be immune without inoculation?"

"Wufei is right," Sally added softly, "From what I could gather from the S.A. files, not even our bolstered immune systems have a chance of surviving the QR145 virus without the vaccine."

"It's an UNDIS sample!" Heero repeated stubbornly.

"Yuy, you can't seriously believe-"

"Hang on a minute Chang," Trowa interjected, "Let's give Heero the benefit of the doubt. This particular UNDIS may have had a natural immunity to the virus."

"Next to impossible; the likelihood of such distinct mutation occurring is next to nil!"

Giving Sally a blank look, Trowa continued undeterred. "The UNDIS may have been able to find a cure."

"And how would they have done that, on the run from the S.A. and without access to sophisticated medical equipment?" Wufei challenged.

Trowa merely shrugged, "We don't know that for sure. Some of their refuges were quite well equipped, and they had many scientists among their ranks."

"Rumours though," Wufei countered again, "we don't have anything definitive on their hideouts, and they were all ransacked and destroyed by those dishonourable Liberators!"

"True," Trowa conceded, "but just because they did not possess the same genetic advantages the rest of us do, doesn't mean they were unintelligent."

Wufei bowed his head, "Yes, I admit that. Some of them were highly intelligent. It's terrible to think of the intellectual potential that was lost."

"So back to the possibilities," Trowa calmly continued. "They may have been able to steal some of the vaccine."

"Wouldn't the vaccine need to be administered before they were exposed to the virus? Although, I suppose if the S.A. had staggered the infection, some of the UNDIS may have been pre-warned of the attacks."

"Give me a minute," Sally said as she rapidly scrolled through the files on her tablet, "I think I may be able to answer that. Yes, it's here. The attacks were staggered, but only by a matter of weeks. Even if they were able to somehow contact each other through the communications ban, they would only have had a few days to a week at most to locate the vaccine and steal it."

"How could I have missed this, I'm sure I would have noticed something as malicious as the QR145 virus being used as a weapon," Wufei muttered, turning back towards the monitors and typing away furiously at the keyboard. "I knew about the influenza viruses, but not this…"

"You didn't miss anything," Trowa pacified the furiously typing man, "It was only mentioned in the footnotes. I'm amazed that you even recognized the code."

"And I only know about it because Heero told me to look specifically for it and because Trowa gave me the S.A. medical files to sort through," Sally piped up helpfully.

Wufei glared at Trowa, "If you already _know_ everything," he gritted out, "why did you make me waste an entire day, sorting through files!"

Trowa shrugged, "I know the material because I collected it all. The files I gave you were what I managed to get off the Liberators databases. Because of the damaged memory banks, the Liberators files were all disordered and fractured, they needed to be organized and categorized for them to be of any use to the rest of us."

"Since you already know the files so well, why didn't you do it!" Wufei bellowed.

"Aww… I think someone's a little grumpy. Do you need a hug?"

"WOMAN!"

Trowa sighed and shook his head at the pair's antics. "I asked you to sort out the files because I thought we could benefit from a fresh pair of eyes, especially since you are much more detail-oriented than I am."

Wufei only grunted in reply but was clearly placated by Trowa's compliment.

"There is one other possible explanation as to why an UNDIS would have the QR145 antibodies in their bloodstream; at least that I can think of."

"And what would that be?" Wufei asked, his earlier anger clearly forgotten.

Trowa watched Heero carefully as he voiced his final supposition, "It was given to them."

"Given to them?" Sally exclaimed, "By who?"

"Why, someone from the S.A. of course."

* * *

><p>"You ever been up there?" the figure reclining in the shadows asked, a bony finger pointing upwards.<p>

Unmindful of the lack of response, he continued. "Not a single chunk of scrap metal for miles! They've got actual organic rock up there, and when I say organic, I mean from earth! Well… maybe some of it was excavated from the moon. It's too bad some of the buildings were damaged, even if those bastards are extravagant as hell… those buildings are nice to look at. And the church, damn it's beautiful. Stained glass an' all. I saw a picture of it once; Sister Helen had a small reproduction of it on her desk. She used to worship there ya know, before she was shipped off to L2. She said they had _real_ wooden pews too! I couldn't get close enough to look inside though, and they lock the doors at night. Not that a locked door's ever stopped me, but I have no business there. Father Maxwell used say a church's doors should never be locked, that everyone was welcome in the House of God. Not that I believe in Him… maybe they don't either," he laughed humourlessly.

"I never imagined it was so _big_ though… all those buildings are so damn big. You could house hundreds of orphans in the lobby of the senate building alone! Damn greedy bastard politicians. I guess looking at all that pretty stuff lets them forget the state of L2 and L3. I hear L4's pretty nice, wonder how they manage to keep those greedy L1 leeches from sucking 'em dry… and L5... well that place went 'BOOM!' a decade ago."

The figure glanced down the cozy nest the mother rat was currently occupying with her pups. "You're lucky ya know, I don't think you would have liked L2 all that much. None of these crushed moon-rock and cobalt steel tunnels for ya," he patted the wall behind him fondly.

"An' the condensation on the pipes is pretty clean too; pipes aren't all rusted up either. 'Course, you were lucky to find that nice piece of pipe for that nest of yours. Good thing those S.A. bastards were so sloppy when they were making those secret passageways of theirs…"

Slightly winded from his monologue, the figure silently contemplated the ceiling above him before a rattling wet cough wracked through his emaciated frame.

* * *

><p>A deadly hush fell over the room as Trowa calmly leaned against the wall, unflinching under Heero's angry blue glare. Wufei exchanged a concerned look with Sally before daring to break the silence. "Why would an S.A. member to do something like that?"<p>

A stony silence was his only answer until a tired voice piped up from the open doorway.

"Why would the S.A. do what?"

Quatre Raberba Winner slumped into the room and collapsed into the chair Trowa hurriedly pulled out for him. Tugging ineffectively at the silk scarf and large ruby brocade pin tied elaborately around his throat, he smiled gratefully when Trowa gently pushed his hands aside and quickly divested Quatre of his scarf and heavily embroidered blue frock coat. Bending at the waist to place a tender kiss on Quatre's golden halo of hair, Trowa spun Quatre's chair around and lightly began kneading his shoulders.

"Oh… you can stop that never," Quatre groaned as he kicked off his glossy white dress shoes and began to massage his tender soles.

"Rough night?" Wufei asked as he watched the two with amusement.

"Awful! Horrible! Dreadful! Terrible! Vile! Unbearable! Repulsive! Nasty! Atrocious!" Quatre groaned. "Got any more?"

Wufei tapped his chin in thought. "Ghastly and appalling?"

"Ah yes, those too. I don't even want to consider how many brain cells I lost tonight."

"I take it the intellectual level left much to be desired?"

"Quite the opposite, they're a bunch of sharks all of them. All of them out for blood, all strategizing on how to seize power – all under the very polite veil of social protocol of course."

"So? You enjoy a good battle of wits; you're a veritable shark yourself."

"Thanks for the compliment my friend," Quatre smiled wearily at Wufei before frowning sharply, "but today was far from invigorating political strategy games. It was downright self-serving and obnoxiously short sighted!"

He continued with a snarl, "I was just so incensed by the gall of those people; I swear that my blood was boiling within my very veins and frying my brain to a crisp! Our resources are still suffering from undergoing a civil war, everyone's still on restricted rations and what do they serve for dinner? Organic meat! Game, fowl _and_ FISH! Can you imagine? Don't get me started on all the fresh produce and wine. And some of those pigs had the nerve to say that this was how they _deserved_ to dine _all_ the time! I don't want to know how many luxury credits they squandered for tonight's extravagance!"

"They didn't," Heero growled. "The official records show a pooling of resources and luxury credits from the attendees plus a small 'tax donation' from all L1 inhabitants. That's just a smokes screen. Someone hacked into the luxury credits and resource distribution networks and diverted existing orders and credits. It didn't raise any flags because the shipments were still sent out under the original customs orders and then redirected upon arrival in L1. The hacker erased their tracks but they would have needed an inside man on both sides of the delivery."

"How did you catch it?" Quatre gasped, "I didn't even realize that something was suspicious until they served dinner. Even then, I wouldn't have imagined a 'switch and grab' job."

"I had a tracking device installed on my luxury order."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, "You received your monthly shipment of apples just last week, I saw it myself Yuy."

Heero shook his head, his shaggy russet mop of hair stirring with his irritation. "No, I made a special order for berries with my saved up luxury credits. I received a notification that my order had been cancelled due to a systems glitch and that my resource credits would be refunded. However, my tracking device showed that my shipment had arrived two days behind schedule. I checked with our network and discovered that the scheduled cargo shuttle had indeed docked at the L1 customs port yesterday but later disappeared off the radar and is now listed as MIA."

"I didn't know you liked berries Heero," Quatre stated, seemingly perplexed. "This is very troubling… we'll have to find the offenders soon. If they're cloning existing credits to inflate the number of luxury credits, it'll only be a matter of time before people realize that resources are low, inflation will skyrocket and we could have a mass riot on our hands! Worst case scenario, we could have another incident like the one on L5 where… oh Allah!"

Quatre clapped his hand over his mouth as he stared with dismay at Wufei. "Oh Wufei, I am _so _sorry. I wasn't thinking, it just slipped out! That was so careless of me, I -"

"It's alright Quatre," Wufei replied stiffly while Sally gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "What you say is the truth."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room until Heero cleared his throat. "We should return to the UNDIS matter. We need to find a way of tracking the sample donor down."

"UNDIS? Sample? Could someone bring me up to speed?"

"Of course," Trowa replied, the affection evident in his otherwise soft monotone. "Heero gave Sally a blood sample to analyze. The results came back to an undocumented male with immunity to the QR145 virus. Heero believes the sample came from an UNDIS."

"Can we confirm for a fact that the sample is from an UNDIS?" Quatre's analytical mind was already running through various scenarios.

Sally tapped a few commands into her tablet and shook her head. "Not yet, I just finished mapping the genome, the computer is looking for specific markers now. The lab's swamped with the identification of all the Liberators samples and since _someone_," she gave Heero a mild look of reproach, "insisted that I handle this personally, I've gotten a little backed up in my work."

"I don't trust anyone in the lab but you Sally."

Sally sighed in exasperation. "I'll take that as a compliment Heero. I'll have you know though; I rule my lab with an iron fist."

"Of course you do," Quatre soothed. "So, what's so special about this blood sample, other than being immune to QR145?"

"Did everyone know about this virus but me?" Wufei wondered, his irritation mounting again.

"It's alright Wufei, very few people know about the QR145 virus. The S.A. kept the knowledge of the virus strictly under wraps, even the Liberators were largely left unaware. I think it was only mentioned within the Liberators files as a footnote recording the inoculation of the troops."

"I suppose _you've_ read all the files as well?"

"Well yes, I did skim through them briefly," Quatre admitted. Trowa nudged him gently and he hastened to add, "Of course the files were much too out of order and disjointed to really glean anything valuable from them. Your efforts to organize and classify them in a more ordered manner will no doubt be invaluable."

Quatre beamed at Wufei; Wufei's dour mood was defenceless against the million wattage of Quatre's smile.

"Back to my question, what's so special about this sample? And where did it come from?"

Heero shifted uncomfortably under Quatre's searching gaze, his right fist clenching and unclenching spastically.

Getting no response, Quatre tried another approach. "Don't take this the wrong way Heero… but you've been acting strangely since we took down the S.A. Is something bothering you?"

Heero kept his head bowed in silence until he started speaking haltingly, his eyes never leaving the floor. "Remember my last mission on L2, the one before we captured the remaining S.A. leaders?"

"Yes, you went in to immobilize the last Liberators stronghold and disable the beam cannon aimed at L1 and the Sector 17 resource satellites." Quatre supplied, urging Heero on.

"The calculated probability of mission success was 20%."

"Those calculations are never accurate," Wufei argued, "there are too many variables not to mention much of the data is subjective. There is no doubt in my mind that even if those cowardly and incompetent fools hadn't blundered and killed themselves in the process; you would have succeeded in the mission. And regardless of their incompetence, you're still a hero for saving the L2 colony from self-destruction. Even though it is badly damaged and uninhabitable at the moment, there is no reason to believe that it cannot be salvaged."

"Not to mention you located the data that made it possible for us to take down the remainder of the S.A." Sally added.

"It didn't add up."

"I'm sorry Heero, I don't quite follow." Quatre frantically tried to predict where the conversation was heading.

"Last week, Noin sent me home to recuperate."

Sally nodded. "Yes, the political system was still in limbo and we were trying to determine how to proceed. You had already done more than your fair share of the work Heero. The decision to send you home wasn't a reflection of your abilities; Noin and I thought you would benefit from a brief period of rest."

Heero remained silent before finally admitting, "It was bothering me, so I went back to L2."

"What!" Quatre gasped. "Why?"

"It was bothering me," Heero repeated stubbornly. "There was no way that those soldiers managed to accidentally trap themselves in the control room, shut down the oxygen pumps _and_ manage to warp the code for the beam cannon so that it would self-implode. It couldn't have been coincidence or 'divine intervention' as Noin called it."

"The S.A. was getting pretty desperate near the end," Trowa interjected. "The quality of their recruits was declining and their training nonexistent. And I was part of the clean-up crew that went in afterwards. The bungled commands that cut off the oxygen supply to the control room came from within the control room itself. What they were trying to accomplish I have no idea. Whatever was left of the coding was frantic and sloppy."

"Perhaps it was suicide," Wufei offered with a frown. "They were cornered and desperate. And considering their fanatical nature, perhaps they would have rather died than surrendered."

Quatre shook his head. "That's possible, but they still had the upper hand by holding L1 and Sector 17 hostage. We're missing a piece of the puzzle."

"That's what I went to find. I went over every inch of that base."

"What did you find that the clean-up crew missed?" Trowa dropped heavily into the chair next to Quatre. "The crew was very thorough, I checked their work myself."

"Affirmative. But the crew went in with the notion that the Liberators were responsible for all that went wrong. They would have been biased in their search. I searched with the theory that an outsider was responsible for sabotaging the Liberators base."

Sally gasped and almost dropped her tablet. "Did you find anything?"

"Yes. Someone accessed the base through the vents. The life-systems scanners and heat sensors were disabled in all the vents. They were not knocked offline though, so no alarm would have sounded. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as though they were jammed by some sort of electromagnetic pulse."

"They got in through the vents? They must have been either very small or a child. A woman?" Wufei inferred with a look of horror on his face.

"The base's communication system was hacked into and an alert for all troops to report to the command centre was broadcast at 0900. At 0905, the building's locking codes were all overwritten and the entire communications and security systems were taken offline. I checked the doors leading to the beam cannon's control hub and all the locks showed slight signs of manual manipulation. I also re-checked the calculations last entered into the beam cannon's programming. The final coordinates were entered at 0913. I noticed that although the false coordinates were made to look like a simple calculation error, they were precisely calculated to cause the cannon to overheat and implode. The slightest difference in the formula and the beam canon would have simply malfunctioned and terminated the program."

Stunned silence fell over the room as the room's four other occupants tried to grasp the implications of Heero's discoveries.

Finally, after several tense minutes, Quatre dared to venture, "Let me see if I understand this correctly. Someone infiltrated the L2 Liberators base through the vents. They misdirected everyone to the command centre and shut down the communications and security system. Then they picked all the locks leading to the beam cannon, reprogrammed the cannon with calculations to make it implode but made it look like simple miscalculations? And they did this in less than ten minutes between the shutdown of the other systems and the reprogramming of the beam cannon? Are you sure it was one person?"

"It had to have been a team," Wufei agreed. "Only Heero could have performed such an undertaking."

"It was a one person job. I went back and checked all the electro-static footprints. There was only one other set of foreign prints, other than mine, and they were barefoot."

Sally jerked in surprise. "Barefoot?"

"Most likely to better manoeuvre through the vents," Trowa rationalized.

"What about the oxygen supply?" Quatre asked.

"That was the only _real_ accident," Heero supplied. "The life support systems were not accessed from the outside. Most likely those trapped inside the command centre shut down the life-support systems when they were trying to open the door."

"Oh Allah," Quatre breathed, the shock finally setting in. "Who do you think could be responsible?"

"The blood sample I had Sally analyze came from one of the vent openings. He must have cut himself when he exited the vent."

"The UNDIS!" four voices shouted in unison.

"That's not all," Heero stated, ignoring their flabbergasted expressions. There was a message encrypted within the fake beam cannon coordinates."

"_Shinigami grants no reprieves." _

* * *

><p>The shadowy figure watched as the mother rat finished nursing her litter of pups.<p>

"Sheesh, no wonder ya tried to take a bite outta my foot. Feeding all those pups must be hell."

Reaching into his coat pocket, the figure pulled out a slightly bruised apple. "I was gonna save this for later, but there's no time like the present, eh?"

Biting off a chunk of apple, he offered it to the rat. She eyed it suspiciously with her beady eyes before snatching it out of his grasp and scurrying back to her nest. Once safely ensconced back in the pipe with her pups, she promptly began stuffing her cheeks full.

"Woah, slow down there! If you stretch it out, you can make it last longer and feel fuller," he advised.

Taking a bite for himself, the figure chewed slowly as he considered the rat and her pups.

"Making idle talk with strangers is one thing, but sharing a meal without exchanging names is plain rude. Sister Helen always looked so sad when I forgot my manners."

He grinned broadly. "Pleased to meet ya! The name's Duo Maxwell to my friends and Shinigami to my enemies. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie!"

Chuckling to himself, Duo Maxwell took another small bite of his apple.


	5. Episode Four: Sacrifice

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gundam Wing.

_AN: A quick warning, this is a pretty depressing chapter. I apologize for any liberties I might have taken with the Catholic faith and psychology. I did some brief research but I am no way an expert in either of these fields. _

* * *

><p><em>Episode Four: Rituals &amp; Sacrifices (December 25, 279 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>"<em>I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie."<em>

"Yup, that's me in a nutshell," Duo Maxwell muttered more to himself than his rodent companion. "Sister Helen did her best to turn me into a good little catholic boy. She picked me off the streets and cleaned me up as best she could. She said _He_ loved all his creatures, large and small. And if we were good, he would love us and protect us."

Duo took another bite from his apple and chewed thoughtfully. "Every night, she would pray for our souls, especially mine since I was always getting into trouble."

"She must'a known something was wrong when those bastards showed up with 'influenza vaccines'. She sent me away to go stay with Solo. She said I'd been a good little boy and I could go stay with Solo as a reward. I went back to the church a week later while Solo was gone. He told me to stay in the hideout, but he was gone for so long and I was lonely…"

Duo stared blankly ahead, lost in the memories. "Everyone was dead. All the kids were laid out on their beds, clutching their rosaries. And Sister Helen, she was in the chapel, praying for all our souls, choking on her own blood. She stayed alive long enough to tell me that she loved me and to be a good little boy."

"She'd swallowed a bottle of acid to make it look like she'd died like the others… Solo told me later it was because I was in the orphanage's official headcount, but my blood hadn't been registered yet. Sister Helen wasn't registered either, because she wasn't one of _us._ Solo said that when the S.A. came back, they wouldn't notice me missing because they would assume Sister Helen was the unregistered headcount. After all, to those demons, a body was just another body…"

He clutched the apple to his chest in both hands, breathing heavily as he whispered over and over: "Big boys don't cry, big boys don't cry."

Several long moments later, seemingly soothed by his mantra, Duo continued his story. "I made a deal with her God that day. In _His _laws, suicide is a cardinal sin. I knew I was born a sinner, and that I'd always be a sinner. But if I could keep from committing just one sin, God would forgive her for her sin; a lifetime of sins in exchange for one."

"She always looked so sad when she caught me lying. So, if only in one small way, I'd be her good little boy."

After a long pause he whispered quietly. "And I can believe she's an angel in Heaven…"

With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, his half-eaten apple rolling away from his limp grasp.

* * *

><p>Quatre ran a hand through his tousled blonde locks and sighed deeply. "So where do we go from here?"<p>

"We locate him as soon as possible."

"I think we've all reached the same conclusion Heero," Wufei affirmed. "But the bigger question is how do we approach the situation?"

"Define approach."

Wufei sighed heavily. "Heero, you've just described to us a veritable phantom, an undocumented UNDIS whose existence we have no knowledge of other than a blood sample. Do we treat him as hostile or as a possible ally? He clearly has a high level of intelligence and unparalleled infiltration skills but we don't know much else. We know he infiltrated the base solo, but he could have allies, even more undocumented UNDIS like himself."

"He's right," Quatre added, "We can't rush in blind. We need more information. I suggest we start by narrowing down the search parameters. I also recommend an analysis of his actions to try and determine his behavioural patterns and motivations. Trowa, phone please?"

Trowa reached into his Preventers jacket and produced a small phone from an inner pocket, handing it to Quatre. Snapping it open, Quatre quickly entered a pass code and dialled. "Hello, Rashid? I need you to go fetch Iria and bring her to headquarters. Tell her it's very important. Oh, and please apologize to Catherine for me. Yes, thank you."

Disconnecting the call, he turned to Heero. "You don't mind do you? Iria is the leading expert in trauma psychology and is completely trustworthy. You have my word."

Heero's mouth tightened unhappily but he didn't argue with Quatre.

"No objections? Good. Now if you could consolidate all your findings into a report before Iria gets here, we can get the ball rolling. Remember, no detail is too small."

Heero merely grunted in reply but obediently moved to his desk in the corner of the office and switched on his laptop.

"Wufei, do you think you could access all the travel records to and from L2? Maybe we can determine whether or not he is still on L2."

Wufei nodded, "I'll check the records."

Quatre turned to Sally next who nodded and pre-empted him, "I'll get back to the lab and see if I can't speed things up."

As Sally left, Trowa glanced at his watch and rose. "I need to go check something; I'll be right back love."

* * *

><p>Duke Dermail sat in his study, idling running a finger along the bottom of his wineglass. Behind him, Peacecraft Hall could be seen through the window, the lights from the still brightly lit hall and plaza delicately dancing along the polished surfaces of the study's antique furniture. Glancing at the clock once again, his finger began tapping an impatient beat against his glass before he threw himself out of his chair and began to pace impatiently.<p>

Just as Dermail turned to leave the study in frustration, the shrill ring of the study's vidphone shattered the tense silence. Stalking over to the communication device, he checked the transmission code and punched down viciously on the 'receive' button.

"You're late!"

The vidscreen remained blank as a disembodied voice floated out of the speakers. "I was unavoidably detained."

"Report."

"The _Preventers_ know about the use of the QR145 virus on the UNDIS."

"I know that already," the Duke hissed, "I'm paying you exorbitant sums of credits to tell me what I don't know!"

"They have obtained a live sample of the QR145 antibodies from an undocumented source."

A look of horror entered Dermail's eyes. "Is it one of _our_ undocumented?"

"I can't say. Access to the sample is highly restricted."

"I don't care for your petty excuses; I'm paying you to keep me informed!"

There was a slight pause before the voice returned. "If you want more, it's going to cost you double."

"What?" Dermail roared, "That's preposterous! Listen you little rat, we had an agreem-"

"The stakes just went up. You can't afford to let your missing _undocumenteds_ fall into their hands, can you?"

"Fine!" Dermail snapped. "The credits will be transferred to your account first thing in the morning."

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you," the voice returned before the line went dead.

In a fit of rage, Dermail picked up his empty wineglass and hurled it against the wall.

* * *

><p>Trowa slid soundlessly out of the darkened communications room, slipping a small black device back into his pocket. As he made his way back towards the main office he shared with his colleagues, he nearly collided with a petite blonde woman rushing down an adjoining corridor.<p>

"Oh! Trowa, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Iria," he greeted, grasping her elbow to help her regain her balance. "How is Catherine?"

"She's her usual tough as nails self. She worries about you though. Be a dear and visit her soon?"

"Of course," he nodded absently. "I'll visit as soon as I can." Leading her down the hall, he steered her towards the brightly lit main office.

"Quatre!" Iria called as soon as she entered the office. "I came as soon as I could. Is everything alright? Rashid wouldn't tell me anything; he said you would explain everything once I got here."

"Thank you Iria," Quatre rose to greet his eldest sister with a brief kiss on both cheeks. "I hope Catherine isn't too upset with me stealing you away in the middle of the night."

"She understands, although she can't help but worry," Iria replied. "As do I, little brother. What is it?"

"Heero?" Quatre called to the figure hunched over his desk, staring at his computer screen.

Hearing his name, Heero rose to join Quatre and his sister at the large conference table in the middle of the room.

"Dr. Winner," he acknowledge stiffly, handing her the digital tablet he clutched in his hand.

"We need you to conduct a behavioural analysis of the subject in the report Heero just gave you," Quatre explained. "We're most interested in the subject's possible motivations and mental state. And more importantly, we need to know if the subject would be hostile or sympathetic to our cause."

"I'll see what I can do." Wasting no time, Iria sat down at the table and began scrolling rapidly through the material of Heero's report.

Leaving Quatre and his sister to their work, Heero went to stand next to Trowa who was silently watching Wufei scroll through data on his wall of monitors. "You were gone for quite a while," he observed quietly.

Trowa merely shrugged and offered no explanation.

"Heero," Wufei called, his eyes never leaving his monitors. "Am I correct in assuming that this bogus _Preventers_ flight mission from L1 to L2 on Tuesday of last week was you?"

Heero grunted in reply.

"I'll take that as a yes," Wufei muttered distractedly as he continued to scroll through the records.

"Shouldn't Noin be back by now?" Heero demanded suddenly.

"She's attending the annual midnight mass at Sanc Cathedral. She'll probably be back at headquarters in the afternoon."

* * *

><p>"Where's the girl?"<p>

"She's attending the midnight mass with Ms. Noin."

"Good, we need the girl to gain the _Preventers_' trust. More importantly, we might have a crisis on our hands. You need to arrange a secure meeting with 'Midek'."

"Certainly Grandpapa. Can I be of any other assistance?"

"No, I'll handle this new development; you concentrate on the tasks I have already assigned you."

"Understood. I will contact you when the meeting has been arranged."

* * *

><p>"Well?" Heero demanded.<p>

Five hours had passed since Iria had begun her analysis. The four young men were now seated at the large conference table and were joined by Sally who had just returned from her lab.

"I… I don't know where to start," Iria finally blurted out, her aqua blue eyes shimmering. "It's just so horrible! I knew the S.A. was fanatical in their beliefs, but to create such a gruesome method of…" Her control breaking, she sobbed softly. "It's horrible to think that such a horrifying weapon exists!"

Sally's expression was grim. "As a doctor, I can understand your concerns. Don't worry; I'm working on developing a vaccine as we speak. As soon as Noin returns, we'll discuss scenarios for possible widespread production and distribution of the vaccine."

Quatre squeezed his sister's hand reassuringly. "I know Heero's report is disturbing, but we really need your help. It's very important that we can understand this individual and his behaviour so we can find him."

Iria nodded, pulling herself together and mustering her professional detachment. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"As you've probably already deduced, your subject is extremely intelligent. He is highly creative and resourceful, but his actions are determined by his emotional response rather than a predetermined plan. I believe he launched his offense on the base with only the basic outline of a plan and then tackled each obstacle as it arose. The fact that he chose to divert the Liberators to a central location shows that he was familiar with their operating procedures but also indicates that he might be physically weak or unskilled in close-range combat. I also believe that his confinement of the soldiers indicated that his main objective was the reprogramming of the L2 beam cannon."

Five intense pairs of eyes remained riveted to her in silence as she took a deep breath before continuing.

"Based on the discrepancies between the hacking of the communications and locking systems, and the recalibration of the beam cannon, I would hazard a two guesses:

"The first scenario is that someone else was responsible for the calculations of the false coordinates. The second scenario is that your subject was responsible for the calculations himself, but that he had them prepared in advance. Whatever the case, both situations indicate familiarity or prior knowledge of the beam cannon's design."

"Mr. Chang," Iria turned to Wufei, "have you determined if anyone left the L2 colony shortly after the attack on the base?"

Wufei shook his head. "No, radar history indicates no activity that differs from our flight records. I also performed a systems check on all the functioning ports on L2 and all sensors were online and in full working order. Other than our own Preventers ships and Heero's impromptu visit, no has been to or left the colony."

Iria nodded gravely. "As I suspected, this was a suicide mission."

"What could be the motivation for destroying an entire colony?" Sally queried, "And what does this reveal about our subject?"

"Determining motivation from so little information is problematic," Iria bit her lip, "but I would speculate that the creator of the false coordinates either felt that something on the colony was dangerous enough to require destruction, or that this was a matter of revenge.

"Based on the hidden message in the beam canon's coordinates, I have made some very simple diagnoses on the mental state of the author of this message. If it is the first scenario, the author suffers from severe narcissistic personality disorder or they may even have a God complex. Passing judgement on an entire colony and associating with the god of death indicates that the subject has no sympathy for his fellow men. In this case, your subject was merely a disposable pawn."

Quatre sucked his breath in sharply. "And if it's the second scenario?"

"If your subject is indeed the message's author, he was motivated largely by guilt. The phrase 'Shinigami grants no reprieves' indicates that he believed that this god would pass judgement on both himself and the soldiers on the base, perhaps even the colony itself. I do not believe he operated with the rescue of L1 and Sector 17 in mind, but with the belief that the colony needed to be destroyed and judged by a higher entity."

The room fell silent as each member at the large conference table tried to absorb Dr. Winner's conclusions.

Quatre broke the silence when he suddenly shot out of his chair and slammed his fist on the table. "Allah! How could I have been so blind?" he shouted, "Iria's suggestion of the possible motivations behind destroying the colony just made me realize a fatal flow in our reasoning. We've been assuming that subject is an UNDIS sample simply because he attacked the base. But if this wasn't an attack but a cover-up… this could mean our subject is an undocumented S.A. operative sent in to destroy evidence!"

"You mean L2 was being used not only as a military base and quarantine for the UNDIS but something else?" Wufei exclaimed as he rushed towards his computer station. Furiously typing in new parameters and refining his search, he watched anxiously as the screens displayed his filtering data. "Come on Nataku," he muttered under his breath.

"Here!" he yelled in triumph. "There are vague mentions and hints of some sort of experiments and," Wufei scrolled through a few more screens, "a lab? No, it looks more like a production facility! I have no specific location but it seems to be located somewhere on L2."

"We'll need to organize a search team and find that facility before there's another attempt to destroy it," Sally stated. "And if the operative is still there, he needs to be captured. He will have vital information that we need. And, if our original assumptions are still correct and the subject is an UNDIS, he may also have some information on the S.A. Either way, it will be a 'search & capture' mission."

"Oh dishonourable cur!" Wufei suddenly bellowed at his screen. "The lab is somehow tied up with his blasted QR145 virus!"

"Trowa and I will go," Heero declared calmly, "we have already been inoculated against the virus. We'll take the Gemini."

"Alright," Sally nodded. "I'll inform Noin when she gets back and-"

A sudden harsh beep from her tablet interrupted her. Frowning, she glanced down at the message and paled visibly.

"What is it?" Iria asked in trepidation.

"Heero, Trowa, you are now operating a 'search & rescue' mission."

"What? Why?" Quatre breathed.

Sally was grim faced. "Our original assumption was correct. Analysis of the genome indicates several genetic flaws and non-regulation mutations. The subject is an UNDIS."

Sally's grim expression darkened. "He is also dying."

Heero shot out the door.

"Heero, wait!" Sally shouted after him to no avail.

"I guess that's my cue," Trowa said dryly.

"Be careful Trowa. And look after Heero would you? He has been very reckless lately…"

"Of course love," Trowa placed a gentle kiss on Quatre's forehead and turned to leave. "I won't let anything happen to us."

"Pick up several doses of penicillin from my lab before you leave," Sally commanded. "The subject has a highly resistant strain of pneumonia. Once you find the subject, bring him back for treatment immediately."

"Understood."

* * *

><p>A small beeping echoed through the tunnel.<p>

Yawning widely, Duo reached into his pocket to retrieve a small black device, squinting at it with one eye. "Morning already? Hmm…"

Stretching sluggishly he, counted his fingers and toes. "Huh, all ten fingers and toes."

He glanced at his sleeping companions, a mass of fur and tails within the small section of abandoned pipe. "I guess sharing my apple was an acceptable peace offering for not chewing on my toes…"

His gaze returned to his small black box. "So, what's the forecast for today?" he asked cheerily.

Giving the box a vigorous shake, he waited for the words to assemble on the small screen. "_Unprofitable & Disjointed_. Hmm… that's pretty accurate."

Replacing the box in his pocket, he pulled out a bag filled with several small fuzzy leaves. Taking a leaf, he placed it in his mouth and chewed carefully before breaking into a round of coughing.

When his coughing finally subsided, he grimaced. "Blegh. Solo never did manage to make these less bitter…"

* * *

><p><em>AN: A quick comment about the first bit. It always bothered me that there never really was an explanation for why Duo never lies. I tried to come up with a reason that would work within the plot of the story and this is what I came up with. (I think I need to go cuddle some cute furry animals now..)<em>

_I had originally planned to have the gang find Duo much earlier on in the story but decided that if I established a lot of the background and characterizations up front, I could focus on the relationships between the boys in the later chapters. I do promise that Duo will make contact with the gang within the next four chapters (fingers crossed!) _

_I also realized that the tone of these chapters is quite dark. I`m hoping to start balancing the darker scenes with lighter ones once everything gets sorted out, so please stick around!_

_A big thank you to my reviewers and those who added my story to their alerts! _

_As usual, thanks for reading and I`ll hope you`ll continue to return to this story as I add future chapters!_


	6. Episode Five: Airborne

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gundam Wing.

* * *

><p><em>Episode Five: Airborne (December 25-26, 279 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>Dorothy Catalonia paced sedately down the hallways of Peacecraft manor, a smug smile playing on her sharp features. Making her way into the residential wing, she stopped in front of a set of double doors. Balancing the silver breakfast tray she carried on one hand, she knocked smartly before entering.<p>

Upon hearing Dorothy`s knock, Relena stirred, her cornflower blue eyes blinking sleepily. Seeing Dorothy entering her room, she stretched lazily, her hands brushing against the wooden headboard decorated with the Peacecraft crest. "Is it morning already?"

"It's almost afternoon Ms. Relena. I thought you could use the rest after all the excitement and the late night you had yesterday." Dorothy set the breakfast tray on the bedside table and went to open the heavy brocade curtains.

Squinting at the bright morning light, Relena rearranged her pink floral pillows and pushed herself up to sit against the headboard. Turning towards the bedside table, she spotted the white envelope sitting innocently next to her pot of tea and frowned.

"Government missives already?" Relena asked, "I thought the new government wasn't being formed until the new year…" She tentatively took the envelope into her hands.

"No Ms. Relena, the schedule for the new government is still running as planned."

"Then what is it? I thought only government missives used paper, everything else is digital; paper is still a very scarce resource."

Dorothy wore a suitably chastised expression. "I'm sure you'll forgive me this one time, but a digital copy just wouldn't have had the same _feel_ to it you see."

Relena opened the envelope and unfolded the single sheet of paper with a perplexed look on her face. "A receipt for a luxury order?"

"It' my Christmas present to you Ms. Relena."

"Christmas present?" Relena wondered. "Christmas hasn't been celebrated on the colonies for years… Oh!" she suddenly gasped, her eyes widening.

Dorothy grinned wickedly. "I thought you might like to know the identity of your secret admirer."

Eagerly scanning the page once more, Relena delicately crushed the paper to her chest, a radiant smile on her face.

_Luxury Order: WF94S  
>Item: 1 small crate, Strawberry, Blueberry, Blackberry, FRESH<br>Credits Redeemed: 172 L  
>Delivery: L1<br>Customer ID: 01HY, Heero Yuy_

* * *

><p>Four pairs of eyes watched worriedly as Trowa's tall lanky form disappeared through the open doorway, two worn duffle bags slung over his shoulder.<p>

Sally finally broke the silence. "We need to gather more intel; Heero and Trowa are flying blind in this mission, we need to correct that."

"No need to remind me woman," Wufei grumbled, the dark shadows under his eyes standing out starkly against his golden skin tone.

Sally frowned. "You'll be of no use to us in the shape you're in right now. When's the last time you slept? Go to the dorms and take a nap."

"Do not baby me! Besides, I need to finish organizing the files if we're to find any information for Heero and Trowa."

"Nonsense, as your doctor I'm _ordering_ you to go rest. Even with the Gemini, Heero and Trowa won't be arriving at L2 for at least 20 hours."

"She's right," Quatre added softly. "I can finish sorting through and piecing the files together. You've done more than your fair share of the grunt work. We can switch off once you've gotten some rest."

"Fine," Wufei conceded, wearily making his way towards the door. "You should get some rest too," he grumbled grudgingly over his shoulder at Sally, "you've been working double shifts for the past three weeks."

"Don't worry, I will as soon as I've briefed Noin," Sally replied affectionately.

"I can brief Noin," Quatre interjected. "I already have some things I need to discuss with her."

"That would be great," Sally smiled gratefully. "I can start some preliminary work for the tests I need to run."

Quatre turned to his sister, "Thank you for all your help Iria. We would have been lost without you." He gently guided her towards the door, "Rashid will be waiting for you at the exit."

"I'll walk with you Iria," Sally joined her in the hall. "I'm headed the same way."

The two women wearily made their way towards the elevator at the end of the hall. Stepping in, Sally swiped her ID card over the scanner and pressed the button for the main level.

"Why is this level labelled 'restricted storage area'?" Iria asked, noting the labels for the various levels of the building.

"Noin thought it best that the boys have their own restricted level, separate from the other agents. It gives them more freedom to do their work and protects their identities. After all, if the other agents were to see your brother working here, there would be no stopping the gossip columns. The other agents believe that the basement is the storage level for highly classified materials."

"Good thinking on Noin's part," Iria reflected as the elevator doors slid open.

"Well, if you would excuse me, I need to get started on creating a vaccine. It's going to be a nasty piece work to try and counteract that atrocious virus."

Iria's eyes widened, "You haven't made it yet? But how…? Heero said that he and Trowa were already vaccinated…"

Sally paled. "Forget I said anything, forget Heero said anything."

"But…"

"Look," Sally pointed to the hulking figure patiently waiting at the building's lobby, "there's Rashid. Do yourself a favour. Have some calming tea, get some rest and forget this night ever happened alright?"

Sally griped both of Iria's shoulders firmly. "I know it's hard not to worry, but leave the worrying to us alright? We have things under control, I promise you."

Iria nodded shakily as Sally released her. "I'll try," she whispered before hurrying towards Rashid.

Sally sighed and resignedly turned towards the medical wing of the building. She had a vaccine to formulate, but first, she had a date with the cot placed in the far corner of her lab.

* * *

><p>Trowa checked the flight plan and auto-pilot one final time before unbuckling his harness and floating towards the cabin of the two-man ship.<p>

"ETA is 19 hours," Trowa informed his partner who sat at the small table in the middle of the cabin, staring morosely at his tablet.

Ignoring Heero's lack of response, Trowa opened one of the cupboards and removed two gel energy packs. Tossing one to Heero, he made his way to the top bunk bed at the back of the cabin.

"You have to refuel and rest Heero. Trust Wufei and Quatre to find the information we need by the time we get to L2. We need to be 100% to carry out the search."

Mechanically, Heero rose and floated to the bottom bunk. Unscrewing the cap, he unhurriedly consumed the contents of the gel pack.

Above him, Trowa finished his own energy pack and settled himself more comfortably on his bunk.

"Don't worry Heero, we'll find him."

"We have to find him," Heero whispered. "_I_ have to find him!"

"I know Heero, I know."

* * *

><p>Noin glared at the digital tablet in her hand and wondered if leaders of organizations were allowed to bang their heads against their desks in frustration. Maybe she could break something, she mused, preferably an S.A. member's nose…<p>

"Let me get this straight: Heero uncovered this development without authorization and now he and Trowa are flying into a situation blind!" she gritted out.

Quatre nodded, unfazed by Noin's barely controlled fury. "Don't worry; I am confident that Wufei and I will find the necessary intel. Wufei has already made great progress piecing together the fragmented files."

Noin sighed, tossing the tablet back onto her desk. Leaning back into her chair, she studied the young man across from her, a dark wig obscuring his golden tresses and thick framed glasses distorting his famous wide aqua eyes.

"That was quite the show you put on at the ball the other night," she remarked. "I would say you were laying it on a little thick with the spoiled and irresponsible act. I've been hearing rumours all morning about your being spotted at several _inappropriate_ locations after you left the Peace Ball in such an abrupt manner."

"I had to get out of there!" Quatre was unapologetic. "I would rather have been facing a squadron of Liberators than those self-serving ogres."

"Besides," he added with a grin. "The rumours aren't wrong."

"What!" Noin gasped.

"They did see me at those places, well, more specifically; they saw Ahmad in a blonde wig and my clothes."

"A double?" Noin asked, a smile starting to form on her lips.

"Yes," Quatre confirmed. "I knew I would be tailed, so I had Ahmad take my place. I had him go to several disreputable locations to help reinforce my façade as the out of control and reckless Winner heir. While Ahmad is out leading those spies on a merry chase, I can focus on my work here and no one will be the wiser. Perhaps Ahmad might even be able to catch some of my stalkers in some compromising situations of their own."

Quatre grinned widely at Noin. "What do you think?"

Noin smirked back, "I like your style Agent Winner."

* * *

><p>"The arrangements have been made Grandpapa."<p>

"Good, when?"

"Two days from now, the 27th, at the usual time and place."

"Code?"

"Black Moon Winter"

"Good. And your tasks?"

"Progressing nicely Grandpapa, very nicely."

* * *

><p>"Dreaming of Trowa again are we?"<p>

Quatre jerked awake, banging his knee against his desk. Blinking in confusion, he struggled to get his bearings. Meeting Wufei's amused gaze, he grinned sheepishly as he rubbed his knee.

"Sorry, I must have dozed off for a moment there," Quatre said as he glanced at the time displayed on his computer screen. "Uh, make that a few hours…"

Wufei leaned over his friend's shoulder and studied Quatre's screen. "Looks like you finished organizing the files. Upload them to the network and I'll run them through Nataku's search program. I can take over from there, get some rest."

Quickly uploading the data to the network, Quatre shook his head. "No, I'm alright, nothing a cup of tea can't fix. I'll help you with the search. I won't rest easy until I know what Trowa and Heero are getting themselves into."

"If you're sure," Wufei assented, seating himself in front of his wall of monitors.

"I'm sure. Tea?"

"Thank you," he watched slyly out the corner of his eye as Quatre set about making tea in the office's small kitchenette. "I recommend wiping the drool off your chin before we get started."

Quatre's eyes widened and he scrubbed hastily at his face.

Chuckling to himself, Wufei turned to his computer and cracked his knuckles. "Let's get to work Nataku."

* * *

><p>"<em>Odin Jr., status report!"<em>

"_Left leg 55%, left arm 70% efficiency."_

"_I see." A wizened old man with metal goggles limped further into the small hospital room. Snapping the claw of his prosthetic arm, he picked up the tablet recording his patient's vital readings. "Your recovery time is outstanding, as expected." _

_The boy lying on the narrow hospital cot remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. _

"_Listen carefully Odin," the old man commanded, taking a small metal box out of the pocket of his lab coat and placing it on the prone boy's lap. "Those incompetent fools on the committee are planning on releasing a deadly virus into the UNDIS population. Here is the vaccine. Administer yourself a dose; keep the rest for leverage against those brainless idiots."_

_The small boy carefully opened the metal box and stared blankly at the four syringes inside. _

"_Heero," the four syringes whispered._

"_Heero," they called louder this time._

"_HEERO."_

_Someone was in his personal space. _

Heero woke up violently, instinctively lashing out at his attacker.

Trowa smoothly avoided Heero's flying fist and retreated to the far end of the small cabin, waiting for Heero to awake fully.

"What?" Heero growled.

Trowa wisely chose not to comment on Heero's laboured breathing and sweat-slicked skin. "T minus 1.25 hours; Quatre and Wufei are on the line with their findings," he informed Heero before disappearing into the cockpit.

Grabbing a towel from the locker next to his bunk, Heero roughly rubbed his hair and skin dry before donning his Preventers jacket and joining Trowa in the cockpit. The link with Preventers headquarters was already up and both Quatre and Wufei were being broadcast on the screen. Wufei sat with his usual straight-backed posture but the worry etched on his face belied his confident manner. Next to him, Quatre wearily nursed a cup of tea.

"That bad?" Trowa inquired wryly.

Wufei's lips thinned into a straight line before he replied cautiously, "We're not sure."

"Using Wufei's new search program," Quatre began, "we were able to narrow down a location for the lab by piecing together data from the various files we managed to recover. We believe it's in Quadrant 9, Section 2 in one of the sub-L levels."

"That's the same quadrant where the old UNDIS prisons were located," Trowa noted.

Wufei nodded. "Yes, we think the lab can be accessed through the basement of Prison C3 or C5."

"Why didn't we find this before?" Heero demanded.

Wufei bowed his head, "Our earlier searches were focused on the Liberators' quadrants of the colony. We labelled the UNDIS quadrants as low priority as the records indicated that they had been abandoned for close to a decade. It was a tactical error."

"Don't beat yourself up;" Trowa calmly cut in, "the files we have are incomplete and disjointed. We had no way of knowing our prior assumptions were false, right Heero?"

Heero glared at the control panel. "It's my fault. I should have told you about my findings earlier! No, I should have noticed something was wrong the minute I entered that base! I failed!"

"Now is not the time to berate yourself Heero," Trowa instructed firmly, "we have a chance to fix the situation; I suggest we take full advantage of it." Turning his attention back to his two associates on the screen he asked, "What information do we have on the function of the lab?"

"That's the thing," Quatre said uncertainly. "Besides some sort of connection to the QR145 virus, we can't find anything concrete about what other work was being conducted in the lab; just a list of experiment names and bits and pieces of coded reports and instructions. Without a key to decipher the code or a larger sample of the code to create our own key… there's just nothing else in the files!"

Wufei nodded grimly. "Whatever was taking place in the lab, it was being done without the knowledge of the Liberators or the rest of the S.A. scientific team. Great care was taken to ensure that this lab didn't show up in any of the records. Whoever was pulling the strings behind this project had to be high up in the S.A. chain of command. This lab might be our link to the shadow S.A. leaders that have eluded our grasp thus far."

Quatre turned to Heero, his eyes full of regret. "I just finished briefing Noin. She said the seizing the lab and assessing its significance takes precedent over the search for the UNDIS subject. I'm so sorry Heero, I know finding the subject is somehow important to you but…"

Heero cut Quatre off. "Acknowledged, we will secure the lab and its contents. Any other orders?"

"Be safe, both of you."

Heero nodded and cut the transmission.

"Don't be discouraged Heero," Trowa urged. "This lab may lead us to your mysterious UNDIS."

Heero merely gazed blankly out into space.

* * *

><p>"Gotcha!" Duo crowed triumphantly as he tossed his small black device in the air and deftly caught it. "Two days from now hmm… well, tomorrow I guess since it's already the 26th…"<p>

Vigorously shaking his small gadget, he grinned fiendishly. "Tomorrow's the day those S.A. bastards are going to meet their maker!" he sang merrily.

"But first, let's see what today has in store."

Waiting for the words to appear on the small screen, he grinned wider.

"_Unforgiving & Disreputable_. I'll say… that's a pretty accurate description of Shinigami today!"

* * *

><p>Fully clad in their snug flight-suits and protective helmets, Trowa and Heero watched as their lock decoder ran through long sequences of numbers to unlock the electronic bolts securing the double doors. After locating the original blueprints for the prisons, the two agents finally uncovered an anomaly in the basement morgue of prison C3: a set of double doors not included in the blueprints.<p>

"I don't like this," Heero uttered quietly over the com-link of their helmets. "The entrance is through the morgue and the lab appears to be pressurized."

Trowa nodded in response as he watched the lock's lights turn from red to green. Tapping a few final commands into the scanner strapped to his wrist he announced, "Life systems and biohazard scanners online. Point?"

"Point."

Drawing their weapons, Heero and Trowa positioned themselves on both sides of the double doors. With one final nod of silent acknowledgement between the two of them, Heero hit the release switch. A sharp hiss filled the air as the doors eased open. When no alarms or explosions sounded, the agents soundlessly slipped into the lab with Heero in the lead.

The lights had flickered on with the opening of the doors, revealing a long stark walkway branching into two hallways. Without missing a beat, the agents parted ways, Trowa swerving left and Heero disappearing to the right.

Heero dove into the open doorway at the end of his hall, rolling into a crouch with his gun extended in front of him. Scanning the room, he detected no threat and the scanner fastened to his wrist remained silent. Holstering his weapon, he stood to examine the deserted room. A large conference table and a communications array lay undisturbed with a very faint coating of dust.

"Clear," he intoned into his radio.

There was a pause on the line before Trowa replied. "Clear, but I think you need to come see this."

Hearing his partner's clipped tones, Heero rushed out of the room and pelted towards the other hallway. Bursting into the gargantuan lab he skidded to a stop, staring in shock at his surroundings. Smashed lab equipment littered the lab benches and the floor. A second morgue lined the wall opposite him, its drawers pulled open haphazardly, frozen columns of air hissing into the room. Trowa stood motionless in the farthest corner of the lab, quietly watching Heero's reaction.

With mounting trepidation, Heero made his way towards the other agent, glass and debris crunching under the thick soles of his boots. Reaching the end of the long row of lab benches, he finally saw the carnage and destruction at Trowa's feet.

"The scientists?" Heero asked.

"It would appear so," Trowa replied, nudging the closest bloody corpse with his foot. "They all seem to have been heading for something back here."

Heero stepped around the bodies littering the floor and wrenched open the door of the cabinet standing in the corner, Trowa a silent shadow behind him.

Surveying the contents of the cabinet, Heero's grip tightened on the cabinet door, crumpling the metal. "Pressurized canisters."

His visible eye widening, Trowa sucked in a harsh breath. "They were manufacturing an airborne version of the QR145 virus."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Another instalment and I can't feel my brain anymore… This story keeps conspiring against me. That being said, I'm aiming for lucky 7 to be the fateful meeting of all the boys. Fingers crossed! Oh, and a pretty big reveal in the next chapter I hope. :D<em>

_Anyways, thanks again for all the reviews! They mean a lot to me and they really help motivate me to keep writing. _

_Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find another brain. I think this one is malfunctioning. _


	7. Episode Six: Solo's Kids

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gundam Wing.

* * *

><p><em>Episode Six: Solo`s Kids (December 27-28, 279 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>Noin stalked into the basement office muttering obscenities under her breath. "Tell me I haven't missed the transmission from L2!" she begged the three individuals seated at the conference table.<p>

"No," Sally replied, "they should be reporting in any minute now. Have you had time to go over our findings?"

"Yes," Noin answered, "but barely. You wouldn't believe the morons I had to deal with all day, and at the worst time possible!"

"Politicians or incompetent greenhorns?" Wufei queried.

"Both," Noin grumbled. "I'm just praying that we can contain the situation on L2 in time."

A loud beeping filled the air as the large screen facing the table flickered to life to reveal the helmet-encased faces of Heero and Trowa.

"Report," Noin commanded.

"We have secured the lab and finished dumping all retrievable data from the mainframes. The files have been uploaded to server XC8Q, acknowledge file transfer?" Heero informed his colleagues succinctly.

"Affirmative," Quatre replied. "The files have been downloaded and are now being processed and decrypted as we speak."

"Have you found anything else?"

Trowa nodded. "I have determined that only ten canisters of the airborne QR145 virus were created. All canisters were still in the lab and their contents were all accounted for."

The four agents in the basement office let out deep sighs of relief.

"Thank Allah," Quatre breathed, "at least we now know they weren't able to distribute any of the virus to another location."

"Biohazard and biosystems scans of the rest of the lab reveal no other hazardous substances," Heero continued. "Based on the temperature of the lab, we approximate that the six scientists have been dead for at least two weeks but no more than a month. We've collected blood and tissue samples, as well as photographic evidence. Should we bag the bodies for transport?"

Noin shook her head, "Negative. We can't risk possible contamination by transporting the bodies. Sorry Sally, you'll have to determine what you can from the samples. The risks associated with holding the bodies for transport outweigh any benefit we might glean from their autopsies."

"I understand," Sally nodded gravely, "it's not ideal, but I agree that it's safer to destroy the bodies. Have you been able to determine cause of death?"

"Direct shots to either the head or the heart," Trowa reported, "all clean and likely instantaneous. I've extracted the bullets; they all appear to be from the same gun. There's something strange about the bullets too, they seem to be handmade and coated with cobalt."

"Cobalt?" Noin sucked in a sharp breath. "That's a strange metal to have in bullets."

"Do you think this could be the work of the same UNDIS who attacked the L2 Liberators base?" Quatre asked.

"Possible," Wufei concurred, "it would explain why the L2 beam cannon was calibrated to self-destruct and destroy the colony."

"We may have to employ the same strategy," Noin declared, "but on a smaller scale of course. Anything else I should know about?"

"Yes," Trowa announced, "we discovered an incinerator that had been used recently, quite extensively too. We suspect it was used to destroy organic matter, possibly human remains that were stored in the secondary morgue. We swabbed all the drawers for trace DNA."

"Do you think the scientists were destroying their evidence?" Sally wondered.

"It's possible," Heero confirmed, "we also found melted metal fragments in the incinerator."

"Strange," Quatre muttered, "organic matter _and_ metal? What could they have been destroying?"

"We won't know until we decrypt and analyze the data," Wufei sighed. "Did you find anything else?"

"Negative. What are your orders Commander Noin?" Heero requested.

Noin bit her lip, drumming her fingers on the table as she deliberated their next course of action. "Po, Chang, are you confident of your calculations?"

Both nodded. "Yes, it's possible to create a controlled blast large and hot enough to destroy the virus without compromising the integrity of the colony," Wufei confirmed.

Noin remained silent for another moment before coming to a conclusion. "Destroy the lab, Chang will send you the calculations. Be sure to be well beyond the blast perimeter and carry out a final biohazards check once the lab has been destroyed. Do you have enough explosives on hand?"

"Yes," Trowa verified.

"Mission accepted," Heero added.

"Good. I want a report as soon as you've completed the mission."

"Commander Noin?"

"Yes Heero?"

"Permission to search for the UNDIS subject once mission has been completed?"

Noin nodded curtly. "Granted."

"Thank you."

Just as Heero moved to end the transmission, Quatre suddenly jumped out of his seat. "Wait, Heero! I managed to bring the L2 colony's life-systems scanning program online. You should be able to connect your own scanners to the system to scan areas beyond your perimeter. It might help in your search."

Heero nodded curtly, a faint trace of emotion entering his normally distant gaze. "Thank you Quatre. You are a good friend."

Quatre beamed. "Anything for a friend Heero. If there's anything else I can do to help, don't hesitate to let me know."

"Roger."

* * *

><p>"<em>Unstable &amp; Distorted?" <em>Duo frowned at his small device. "I don't like the sound of that…"

He glanced over at the family currently nesting in the section of broken pipe. "Hey, lil' mother. Do you believe in fate? Yep, I thought so. Neither do I, it's a bunch of crap if you ask me."

"But omens, especially bad ones… I believe in those. Hell, I am one!"

Removing the small bag from his pocket, he extracted another fuzzy leaf and chewed through his intermittent coughs.

"But time's just another luxury I don't have." Duo stood up and brushed off his ragged black plants and pulled his crude coat tighter around his thin frame.

"Thank you for the company lil' mother. I bet those pups of yours are all going to grow up to be handsome guys and gals, just like their mother! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with several bastards. Shinigami's been callin' for a long time and it's time they met their maker."

Turning abruptly, Duo Maxwell sauntered down the tunnel, his bare feet never making a sound.

Left behind in her cozy nest, the small rodent watched with beady eyes as the human who reeked of death and disease disappeared from sight, taking his overwhelming aura of kindness and loneliness with him.

* * *

><p>The light from the dying flames danced along the two agents' helmets as they silently watched the results of their carefully placed explosives. Only a charred crater of twisted metal and concrete remained where a foreboding block of prison structures once stood, small fires still hungrily consuming everything in their vicinity.<p>

"Did you get all the readings?"

"Yes," Trowa replied, consulting his tablet. "Core temperature reached 1,130 degrees Celsius, remained above 1,000 degrees Celsius for 13 minutes. I highly doubt anything in the lab could have survived that."

Heero nodded, consulting his own tablet. "Vital colony systems still online, all central infrastructure structures of Quadrant 9 are intact."

"Good, I'll send Noin our preliminary report."

"How much longer until the blast site is cool enough for an accurate biohazards and life-systems reading?"

Trowa scrutinised the smouldering ruins, his eye flicking once more to the readings on his tablet. "I would say midnight at the earliest, so at least another eight hours or so. I suggest we take advantage of that time to eat and rest."

Heero glared in response.

"You could also use some of that time to start looking at some of the evidence we retrieved, perhaps find some further clues as to where your mystery UNDIS disappeard?"

"Do you think it was him that attacked the lab?" Heero asked, clearly agitated.

Trowa shrugged. "You obviously think it's him."

* * *

><p>Duo crouched in the shadows, anxiously scanning his surroundings. In front of him, the small square remained deserted. 'What the hell is going on?' he thought to himself, 'they should have been here by now.' Shifting his position slightly, he clasped his gun tighter. Something was wrong, the back of his neck itched. Squinting, he searched for any sign of movement among the multitude of statues and columns.<p>

"How nice of you to come out and play with us!" a voice cackled gleefully behind him.

Duo whirled, staying low to the ground. Perched on the wall above him, like some sort of grotesque oversized spider, was a madly grinning man. Duo froze momentarily in shock, staring transfixed at the man's mouth. Something was very, very wrong with that mouth.

"Speechless? I like it better when my playthings scream," the mouth stretched wider in its sickening version of a smile.

A muffled click alerted Duo to a second presence behind him. On instinct, he dove behind a statue, the bullet missing him by a hairsbreadth.

"Hey! You can't start the fun without me!" the figure on the wall yelled, diving towards Duo.

"You and your big mouth were taking too long," the second man retorted, stepping out from behind another sculpture.

Duo rolled out of the path of the madly grinning man and leapt to his feet, twisting in midair to fire off a shot at the second man. The moment he fired, Duo realized he was off his mark; he was too off center for a clean kill shot.

'Only a flesh wound but at least it'll disarm him," Duo thought as he traced the bullet's trajectory towards the man's dominant arm.

Duo had only a moment to blink as he heard the bullet ricochet off the man's arm and felt blood run down his cheek. 'How?' he wondered desperately to himself as he landed off balance, his body weight crushing his awkwardly angled wrist, causing him to lose his grip on his gun.

"Mine!" the grinning man howled in triumph as he rushed towards Duo, teeth gleaming.

Duo scrambled to his feet, his uninjured left hand reaching for the knife he kept hidden in his jacket.

"Freeze! Preventers!" twin shouts rang out from across the courtyard.

Duo knew an opening when he saw one. As the two men were momentarily distracted by the newcomers, Duo hurdled over the low stone wall, his long braid escaping from his jacket's collar with the force of his leap. Hitting the ground running, he sprinted into the maze of narrow walkways and alleys, twisting and turning until he reached a main road and slid through the nearest gutter opening to the underground tunnels. He tumbled into the tunnel and landed clumsily, his lungs wheezing for breath.

Without waiting to catch his breath, he pushed himself painfully to his feet and stumbled further down the tunnel, his steps uneven and shaky.

* * *

><p>Trowa's green eye scanned the readings one final time. "All clear, no trace of biohazards or life-systems within Quadrant 9. I'll send the final report to Noin."<p>

Heero nodded absently, engrossed in scanning his own readouts. "All colony functions normal, infrastructural systems intact and…" Heero suddenly tapered off frowning. "The scan shows a small power system failure to an energy hook-up between Quadrant 9 and Quadrant 7."

"Quadrant 7's power systems have been inactive for years now. And the blueprints show no power connections between Quadrants 7 and 9…" Trowa uttered in confusion.

Heero quickly tapped some commands into his tablet. "There was no sign of any activity when I last searched the area with the colony's life-system scanner. I'm running the scan agai-"

Heero fell silent in mid-word, his eyes widening. "This is impossible. The scan is now showing a fully operational life support program in the sub-levels of Quadrant 7!"

Trowa's brow furrowed in thought. "We might have accidentally cut the power source to some sort of cloaking device… do you think it could be another lab?"

"No," Heero declared, "Quadrant 7 housed the old UNDIS orphanages. I think we found the rebels' hideout."

Trowa sighed and slipped his tablet into his duffel. "Only one way to find out."

Heero was already off and running towards Quadrant 7.

* * *

><p>"I am very unhappy with you Dorothy. What strange madness possessed you to cancel my meeting with 'Midek'?"<p>

"It was to ensure your safety Grandpapa. I discovered that one of our transmissions to Midek was intercepted."

"WHAT? Was it the Preventers?"

"No Grandpapa, I don't think it was the Preventers. I think it was a rat."

"A rat?"

"Yes Grandpapa, a very dead rat. I arranged to have the twins do a little pest control. I should be hearing from them shortly."

* * *

><p>Noin pinched the bridge of her nose and prayed for patience. "Calm down! I can't understand a single word either of you is saying!" she growled.<p>

The two young agents standing before her fell silent at her outburst.

"Good. Now agents…"

"Wallins and Anderson ma'am!" the pimply-faced agent replied, fiddling nervously with his tie.

Noin suppressed a sigh as she looked at the two agents standing across from her. Wallins looked to be in serious danger of strangling himself with his own tie, while Anderson was sobbing hysterically into her handkerchief. There was no way out, she needed to get to the bottom of… whatever bizarre situation this was.

"Let's try this again," Noin said in a gentler tone. "Agent Wallins, start from the beginning; and in chronological order this time."

"Yes ma'am. Anderson and I were out on patrol…"

"You two are still rookies; you are not yet qualified to go on patrols much less the night shift!"

Wallins gulped while Anderson sobbed harder. "I know ma'am! I'm sorry ma'am! But we didn't think it would do any harm see… Agent Nikol said that he had a family emergency and that his partner was sick. He said that he was in a serious jam and there was no one to cover for him. He said it would be a piece of cake, that the route was deserted at this time of night. And he really seemed troubled and we just wanted to help and oh God! You're not going to fire us are you?"

"Not yet," Noin muttered under her breath. "Just continue with your report if you would please, Agent Wallins."

"So, we went on patrol. Everything was fine, honest! We were taking the route past the Kushrenada Gardens when we heard voices so we went to investigate. Just like protocol and all… we really did follow protocol ma'am!"

"I'm sure you did," Noin reassured with a strained smile.

"So, we went to investigate these voices and then we heard a gunshot. And then another gunshot! So we drew our weapons and shouted that we were Preventers. There was three of them, and then before we could do anything one jumped over the wall and the other two went after him and-"

"Stop right there, can you describe the three suspects."

"I'll never forget them!" Anderson wailed loudly before her partner could reply. "They looked right at me with their horrible eyes. They were something out of a nightmare! And one of those monsters, he looked like he was going to eat my soul!"

Noin gritted her teeth as the young female agent continued to rant and rave at increasingly loud decibels.

'It's going to be another long night,' she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>Heero and Trowa gazed around the ramshackle room they had discovered deep within derelict underground tunnels of Quadrant 7. After disabling a deceptively complicated lock on the dilapidated door, they found themselves in a large open space. One side was filled with a myriad of scrap metal and broken down electronic equipment, while the other side housed a tattered row ragged cots. At the very back of the dusty room were two more doors.<p>

Heero checked the scanner strapped to his wrist. "No human life readings."

Trowa glanced at his own scanner and nodded. "No sign of human life, but my scanner is picking up a life support program providing light, recycled oxygen and heat to this area."

Heero clenched his fist. "He's not here."

"No," Trowa agreed, "but it is evident that this place once housed quite a number of people. Your UNDIS could have been among them." Glancing towards the doors he continued, "Door number one or number two?"

Heero didn't reply and simply wrenched the first door open.

"This is amazing," Trowa mumbled under his breath as he stepped into the room behind Heero.

Both agents looked at the greenery around them in awe. A row of cacti-like plants stretched along the back wall while various potted shrubs and plants sat on a long table pushed against the right wall. On their left, the agents noted tubs over-flowing with a moss-like substance.

"They've created an advanced level greenhouse," Trowa remarked in awe. "It looks like they managed to divert a water source to this room and purified it using the cacti."

Heero motioned towards the plants along the right wall. "Those look medicinal."

Trowa nodded in agreement. "The moss looks like an edible species. The rebels could have been using it as their food source and fortifying their diet with the medicinal plants. Whoever cared for these plants was highly skilled."

"We should gather evidence from this room for Sally and the team to analyze."

With a final glance around the room, Heero headed towards the other door. Cautiously easing it open, he froze when he caught a glimpse of what was inside.

"Heero?" Trowa called worriedly, pushing his way past his immobile friend and into the room.

Both agents stood rooted in place, silently surveying the large airy room. "A mausoleum?" Trowa finally wondered out loud.

Tinted glass covered the lights, bathing the room with colour. Suspended high on the back wall was a large cross created from intricately woven strips of metal. Below it hung the words _'Solo's Kids'_. A single line of continuous shelving ran below the words, housing a long row of urns. And most strikingly, centered in front of the shelves was a pedestal, a scratched and worn tablet resting on its faded cushion.

Stepping towards the back wall, Trowa examined the metal urns in front of him, noting each was unique in its design. Some were covered with fragments of coloured glass; others were embellished with delicately melded metals. Fastened to the shelf below each urn was a metal nameplate, every name carefully engraved by hand. Behind him, Heero reached forward and hesitantly tapped the tablet to life.

"It's a list of names."

"A list of the departed no doubt." Trowa replied solemnly. "It appears as though these urns are placed chronologically from left to right."

Moving away from the pedestal, Heero joined Trowa at the back wall.

"These two," Trowa pointed to the last two urns. "Seem to be the most recent." Carefully lifting one of the urns off the shelf, he gently pried open the lid. "These ashes are fresh," he noted.

"'Solo' and 'Hilde Schbeiker'," Heero read off the nameplates. Glancing further to his right, his eyes widened. "Trowa…"

"Yes?" Trowa asked, replacing the urn to its rightful place.

"There's a nameplate here without an urn," Heero uttered stiffly. "What does that mean?"

Trowa glanced at the lone nameplate and at the ground below it. Noting the disturbances in the dust, he calmly picked a tattered blanket off the floor. "I think it means you've found your mystery UNDIS."

"_Duo Maxwell"_

Frowning at the ragged blanket in his hand, Trowa examined the room once more. "He was waiting to die," he mused softly to himself, "I wonder what changed?"

* * *

><p>Duo groaned and pushed himself up from the spot where he had collapsed hours earlier.<p>

"Who the hell were those guys," he muttered to himself, "and how the hell did they know I was gonna be there?"

A fit of coughing wracked his thin frame as he propped himself into a sitting position and struggled to breathe.

"Damn this cough. I used to be able to run so much faster before I got sick," he gasped between coughs. "At least I managed to outrun those bastards."

Reaching into his jacket, he searched for his small bag of leaves. Finding nothing, he groaned pitifully.

"Damn, what a fuck up. Sorry Solo, all that work for nothin'. I really let you down buddy."

Letting his head fall back against the cold wall of the tunnel, Duo gazed unseeingly at the ceiling.

"Please Shinigami. I'm begging you. Just one chance, just one more chance to get those bastards. That's all I'm askin'. You owe me that much don't you?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: This was a tough chapter, nothing seemed to flow right. I think I`ve set enough of the background for the story now… well, more like sprinkled enough hints so that the story makes sense in the future. I really want to avoid plot holes but they might be unavoidable since the middle section of this story keeps evolving. <em>

_Anyways, please ignore my confused ramblings, it`s late at night. _

_Again, thanks for reading. And thank you thank you THANK YOU for the reviews!_

_Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canucks!_


	8. Episode Seven: The Last UNDIS

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gundam Wing.

* * *

><p><em>Episode Seven: The Last UNDIS (December 29-31, 279 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>Quatre sat in the small lounge area situated in the corner of the large basement office, tablet in one hand, a steaming cup of tea in the other. Across from him, Wufei sat lotus style on the low-backed sofa, eyes closed and breathing rhythmically.<p>

"It just keeps getting worse doesn't it? Just when we think things are starting to change for the better," Quatre murmured forlornly.

"We've already turned the tide; we must be patient until the other pieces fall into place. Justice cannot be rushed," Wufei intoned solemnly, eyes still closed.

Quatre nodded thoughtfully at Wufei's wise words but before he could reply, the door to their office slammed open and Noin stormed in.

"Winner, Chang! I need you in the field!"

"What's the assignment?"

"I need you two to investigate a public disturbance that took place two nights ago."

Wufei arched a brow. "You want us to investigate a public disturbance?"

"No offense Commander but… can't the other agents do that? We're still waiting for an update from Heero and Trowa about the UNDIS hideout and-"

"I can take over while you're in the field," Noin barked. "This investigation takes priority. The incident took place at the Kushrenada Gardens."

Wufei flinched visibly at the name. "What? That area hasn't been reassigned yet, it's practically deserted!"

Noin nodded. "And it's quite close to the government district. I don't need word getting out that a firefight occurred right under our noses."

"Firefight?" The two agents exclaimed.

"Yes," Noin confirmed. "According to the rookies, there were two shots fired."

"Rookies?" Wufei demanded, "What in damnation were two doing rookies doing getting mixed up in a firefight?"

"Never mind why, I'm dealing with that," Noin growled, exasperated, "they heard the shots and interrupted the fight. They reported that there were three individuals involved, two apparently attacking the other. When they announced that they were agents, the one suspect immediately fled the scene with the other two in hot pursuit. At first I thought it was some sort of cock and bull story that the rookies made up as a cover up to one of their screw ups. I sent another team down to do a cursory check yesterday and they did find signs of some sort of struggle. This morning, a witness came forward saying that they had also heard shots that night."

"Were the rookies able to provide a description of the suspects?" Wufei asked.

Noin fought a smile as she handed her tablet to the raven-haired agent. "Their first-hand report is in here, _per verbatim_."

Wufei nodded in satisfaction as he accepted the tablet. Quickly, he scanned through the report, his expression changing from satisfaction, to frustration and finally, outright indignation.

"What is the meaning of this?" Wufei spluttered. "The attacking subjects -and this I quote- 'had claws and fangs' while the fleeing suspect 'had a tail'!"

Quatre's mouth dropped open to form a perfect 'O'. "Fangs, claws and a tail? Were the agents intoxicated?"

"No," Noin replied wryly, "just hysterical with fear. Something seriously spooked those two agents. I checked their records; they're both clean. I need to know what happened; both the location and the timing are giving me a bad feeling. Now, do you have any more objections?"

Quatre and Wufei exchanged a glance and shook their heads. After fighting alongside Noin to overthrow the S.A., both agents had come to trust their new commander's instincts. And if Noin was worried, they should be too.

"We're on it!" Quatre announced, retrieving his kit from the lockers, Wufei right alongside him.

Before the agents could make it out the door, Noin cleared her throat. "Agent Winner, aren't you forgetting something?" she asked dryly, gesturing at her own short hair.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Dorothy hissed. "It was a simple intercept and terminate job! And why didn't you contact me immediately?"<p>

"It was A's fault, he couldn't shut that damn trap of his. We had to lay low for a couple of days."

"At least I wasn't the spoilsport who started shooting and got the Preventers involved."

"I was under the impression that there would be no Preventers on patrol that evening," the first voice spat.

"There wasn't supposed to be," Dorothy replied. "Why didn't you terminate the agents?"

"The prey escaped. Orders were to catch and terminate the prey, pretty little thing," the second voice cackled.

"You told us not to attract the Preventers' attention. Killing them would have brought attention to us," the first voice explained logically.

"Too late, you've got their attention M. That nuisance of a commander has ordered an investigation. I hope you've covered your tracks well. Midek will show you no mercy if you're caught."

"Not our fault," A pouted. "The pretty prey was getting away! And then he disappeared somewhere, just POOF! And he was gone… pretty pretty prey."

"Those fools won't find anything," M replied evenly. "And I would suggest controlling your spies better if you don't want to incur the wrath of Midek yourself."

* * *

><p>"Seriously?" Wufei chortled next to his colleague as they navigated their way towards Kushrenada Gardens.<p>

Quatre tugged self-consciously at his shaggy dark wig and readjusted his sunglasses. "At least I don't have to wrestle my hair into submission every day. How tight do you have to pull it back to tie it like that?"

Wufei opened his mouth to retort but fell silent as the Kushrenada Gardens came into view. The colonial infrastructure of L1 dictated that gardens could only exist in greenhouses. In response, the Kushrenada family had created an open garden entirely from stone and marble. Intermixed with statues of historical family members were intricate carvings of delicate flowers and sweeping vines, the genuine love and respect for nature shining through the cold stone. At the center of the gardens was its crowning glory, a towering stone replica of an old oak tree with thousands of tiny glass leaves shining in the light.

"I always forget just how beautiful this place is," Quatre sighed, drinking in the view.

"I should have realized," Wufei whispered, clenching his fist. "I should have realized something was wrong when he let me win our last duel."

"There was nothing you could have done," Quatre reassured. "Treize believed he was destined to leave this world in battle, and more importantly, he wanted you to survive. You can honour that wish by remembering him with fondness and living your life without regrets."

Wufei nodded mutely, his head still bowed.

"Come on," Quatre urged. "We need to search the scene from top to bottom, uncover every shred of evidence we can. The rookies reported two shots fired, we need to find the bullets."

"The rookies may have been mistaken," Wufei countered, "we shouldn't let their report mislead us. We need to keep our eyes open for anything and everything."

Quatre nodded, pleased that his friend was returning to his usual analytical self.

* * *

><p>Another cough wracked Duo's body as he shivered miserably. Pulling his arms and legs closer to his body, he curled up into a ball, tucked neatly away in the shadows of a curving tunnel.<p>

'I'll have to go up and see what I can scavenge once it gets dark,' he thought to himself before drifting off into a feverish sleep.

* * *

><p>Agents Winner and Chang trudged wearily into their basement office after an entire day of combing through the Kushrenada Gardens, inch by inch.<p>

"As beautiful as those gardens are, I don't want to see another stone flower ever again!" Quatre groaned, "And this wig itches!"

"I hope you found more than just stone flowers and itchy wigs." Noin commented from Quatre's desk.

"Commander Noin!" Quatre gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"What I said I would do," Noin calmly stated, "Manning the communications line to Heero and Trowa. Don't ever let it be said that I don't do my share of the work." Noin shifted her boots off the desk. "What are your findings?"

"The first team was right; there was evidence of an altercation that took place recently. The scene was too compromised to get any footprints, what with the rookies and the other team and who knows who else traipsing through there. We did recover two bullets, one with blood evidence and a small bag filled with strange leaves; we gave those to Sally for processing." Wufei reported.

"Good. Anything else?"

"Well," Quatre hesitated, "the bullet with the blood trace… it was compacted, probably from impact with a very hard surface. Sally will be able to tell us for sure, but we think that the bullet came in contact with the blood after it was crushed."

"So one of the suspects was hit by a ricochet," Noin deduced.

Quatre nodded. "Yes, but the thing is, Wufei and I searched every inch of the garden from top to bottom, we found no evidence that the bullet had ricocheted off any of the surfaces in the garden."

Noin frowned. "So at least one of the suspects was wearing some sort of armour?"

Wufei nodded, "That's the conclusion we came to as well. Whoever they were, they came prepared." His expression turned grim, "at least one of the suspects is ex-military, maybe even linked to the S.A."

"Damn," Noin muttered, "this can't get out! The new government is just days from forming and-" Noin broke off as all three agents heard rushed footsteps pounding towards them.

Sally burst into the room, flustered and out of breath. "Is Heero still on L2?" she gasped.

"Yes, why? Did you find something in the L2 lab's-"

"Never mind that!" Sally snapped. "I just finished processing the bullet recovered today. The bullet was cobalt-tipped and the blood found on the bullet matches that of the UNDIS subject!"

* * *

><p>Heero paced irritably in the main room of the UNDIS hideout. "There's nothing here!"<p>

"I wouldn't say that," Trowa replied calmly. "The improvised greenhouse and cloaking system are nothing to laugh at. Howard was certainly impressed when you sent him the specs…"

"That's not what I meant! There's nothing here that could lead us to him. I've run the life-scanning system over the entire colony, there's no one on this colony except for us! Do you think he could be…?"

"It's always a possibility," Trowa said softly just as his com unit began to buzz.

"Yes Quatre?" he answered, clicking his com unit on.

"Trowa! You and Heero need to get back here ASAP!"

"Did something happen?" Trowa asked, sounding worried.

"Heero's UNDIS is here, on L1!"

"What!" Heero snatched the com unit out of Trowa's hand and peered into the small screen at Quatre. "Are you sure? How do you know this?" he demanded.

"We found blood and a cobalt-tipped bullet at the scene of an altercation, Sally matched the blood to the UNDIS sample."

"Is he hurt?"

Quatre shook his head. "I don't think so… at least not badly. We found no other blood at the scene so it was probably just a graze…"

"We're on our way," Heero snapped the com unit shut, already heading back towards the Gemini shuttle, Trowa dutifully in tow.

* * *

><p>"Heero took that well," Noin commented sarcastically.<p>

"Yes well, he almost seems to be emotionally invested in finding this UNDIS," Sally commented. "Strange considering how he always keeps his emotions so tightly in check…"

A loud beeping broke Sally's train of thought as a light began to flash on the office's communications array. Checking the code Quatre announced, "It's Howard!"

The office's large screen flashed on and Howard's balding head filled the screen. "Woah! Whose funeral?" he asked, a wrinkled hand reaching up to scratch at his goatee.

"Just a little bad news," Quatre replied wearily.

"Oh, does it have anything to do with Heero? I tried to reach him on his com but it's turned off. He sent me the specs to some juicy bits of gadgetry, said he found it in an UNDIS hideout of all places!" Howard crowed delightedly.

"He's en route from L2," Noin replied tersely. "I estimate he'll be back by 2100 hours on the 30th but even then he'll most likely be occupied. You might have to put off grilling him about his findings for a while."

"Boy's got a lot on his plate?" Howard asked, peering over the edge of his sunglasses.

"What has he told you?" Noin hedged.

"That he's out hunting for a surviving UNDIS. Seemed pretty damned insistent about finding him too if you ask me."

Sally nodded, "Well, we've just discovered evidence that he's on L1."

"And we still don't have a damn clue how he managed to get here," Wufei added.

Howard nodded sagely. "That doesn't surprise me. From what Heero sent me, I can tell you that your mystery UNDIS has access to some pretty nifty gadgets. In fact, I might be able to help with your search, let me see if I can't cook something up by the time Heero gets back."

"Thanks Howard," Quatre smiled, "we could use all the help we can get."

"Don't mention it. I'll talk to you kiddies later then!" Howard waved jauntily, his crow's feet wrinkling with his wide grin.

"I suppose we should start our own search for the UNDIS," Wufei sighed. "And get some rest while we can. Yuy's going to want to hit the ground running the moment he gets back."

* * *

><p>Duo cracked his eyes open, wrenching himself free from his feverish dreams. Feebly, he reached into his coat and pulled out his small device, squinting at the screen.<p>

"Damn," he muttered, "it's afternoon already. I missed my chance to go find supplies."

Groaning, he pushed himself up. "I'm in no shape to go up there anyways," he grumbled, sluggishly shaking his gadget.

"Lemme see…" Duo squinted, "_Unfit & Dispossessed._ I'll say…" he laughed hoarsely.

Painfully hauling himself to his feet, he began to shuffle down the tunnel. "Can't stay here," he mumbled to himself, "Gotta keep moving. Near the heat vents would be nice…"

Coughing and gasping for breath, he pushed his protesting body forward, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other.

* * *

><p>"Run the scan again!" Heero demanded.<p>

Quatre suppressed a sigh. Heero had been on edge ever since he and Trowa had returned from L2.

"We've run the scan five times already Yuy!" Wufei snapped, "We've run it over every inch of the colony that's classified as uninhabited and there is absolutely no sign of human activity! And if he's hidden himself in a highly populated area, we won't find him on the scans."

"The most logical place would be the infrastructural tunnels," Trowa pointed out, "the UNDIS hideout was situated in the tunnels of L2 so logic dictates that's where he would feel most comfortable."

Quatre shook his head, "That is the most logical choice, but if he were in the tunnels, he would have tripped the life-sensors."

Wufei nodded grimly, "And I've already checked the entire system for the tunnels. None of the sensors have been tripped, they're all online and none of them show any signs of being tampered with like the sensors on L2 were."

"Give me the blueprints for the infrastructural tunnel network on L1," Heero ordered Wufei. "There has to be something there!"

"I don't know what you expect to find in there," Wufei gritted out, his patience wearing thin, "but I've just downloaded them to your tablet. Anything _else?_"

Heero merely grunted, his attention already fixed to his tablet.

Sally sighed. "Should we round up some agents and organize a door to door search? See if anyone's seen anything?"

Noin frowned. "Too risky, word of this mission can't leave this room. If word got out that we were looking for an UNDIS subject, on L1 of all places, and who may have been involved in a firefight, we'll have widespread panic. Not to mention, he would be terminated on the spot."

Sally scowled. "I keep forgetting how close-minded these people are. What options do we have left? Our hands are tied!"

"We're not quite out of options yet," Noin countered, "let's see if Howard has found anything." Noin quickly tapped a code into the communications array and waited for the line to connect.

"Hey!" a grinning Howard answered, "great timing. I was just about to call you!"

"Howard?" Heero's head shot up as he stalked towards the screen.

"Woah! You back already? You better not have done anything funny to that Gemini on your way back here!" Howard narrowed his eyes at Heero over his sunglasses.

"The Gemini is fully operational Howard," Heero growled, "I'm busy right now."

Howard nodded, his fingers stroking his beard. "Looking for your UNDIS are we? Well, you can stop glaring at everyone Wonder Boy, this old man's found him for you!"

"What!" six voices shouted in unison.

"How?" Heero demanded.

"Simple. Your UNDIS has got one beauty of a gadget on him. I found the basic specs in the data you sent me from the UNDIS hideout. It's a portable cloaking device, completely hides him from any type of life-systems scanner."

"None of the systems showed any form of tampering," Heero argued.

"Now, now," Howard wagged his finger at Heero, "let an old man finish would you? It doesn't affect the sensors at all. Nope, this is a real piece of nifty work. It surrounds the individual in an electromagnetic field that obscures all the subject's life-readings. Basically makes him invisible to the sensors."

"Genius!" Wufei muttered in awe. "To think such technology exists…"

Howard cleared his throat. "Anyways, I just reprogrammed the sensors to look for the electromagnetic pulse instead of scanning for life-readings, and…" Howard glanced down at a tablet clutched in his bony hand, "he's near the exhaust vents of the L1 government district generator. I'll send you the program over the link so you can download it to your scanners."

Noin smiled, "Thanks Howard, we owe you one."

"I think you owe me more than one," Howard chuckled before his expression turned sombre. "You're not going to kill him are you?"

"No, for the moment it's a capture-only mission."

"Good," Howard smiled wanly, "it would be a shame to lose someone like him."

"Do you know something that we don't?" Noin asked sharply.

Howard waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't mind me Ms. Noin. I'm just a doddering old man with a sentimental side. Hate to see any loss of life, that's all. Good luck on the retrieval kids!" Howard gave one final wave and cut the line.

Noin turned to face her agents. Heero and his fellow agents were already reprogramming their scanners and assembling their gear.

"I guess it goes without saying that you four are going?" Noin asked, slightly exasperated. "Be sure to wear your body armour agents, the subject may still be armed. And don't get careless, I know the generator is only a few blocks from here but don't rush in and do anything stupid."

Quatre smiled gently. "Don't worry Commander, we'll be careful."

Sally picked up her tablet and headed towards the door. "I'll go prep the medical isolation room. I'm assuming you want to keep him down here?" Sally looked to Noin for confirmation.

"Yes," Noin confirmed. "Do you have all the necessary equipment down here?"

Sally nodded. "Most, the rest I'll bring down from the medical wing upstairs." She turned to the young men hastily donning their combat suits and checking their stun guns. "Low stun only, and try and avoid it entirely if possible. If he's as weak as I suspect he is, he won't survive the shock to his heart. I also suspect that he's running a high-grade fever if he's moved towards the heated area of the generator."

Trowa, Quatre and Wufei exchanged worried looks.

"Trowa, do you still have that penicillin I gave you?"

Trowa nodded.

"Good, give him a dose immediately upon capture. And be sure to bring him straight to the med room once you get back."

"Roger," the four agents replied in unison.

"Alright agents, move out!" Noin commanded.

* * *

><p>Duo shuddered awake, shivering miserably despite the heat coming from the vents of the generator. Groaning, he rolled over, trying to slip back into sleep and escape the agony of being awake. His senses wouldn't let him though, screaming at him that something was wrong.<p>

Groggily, he pulled out his small device, squinting at the screen. '_December 31, 0245 hours'._ The screen blinked and new words flashed urgently at him.

'_Unsafe Discovery'. _

Mentally jolting into full alertness, Duo remained completely still and strained his senses. There! He hadn't dreamed it. Faint footsteps and voices were rapidly approaching. Lurching to his feet, he set off at a dead run. He needed to get out of there.

* * *

><p>"Almost there," Quatre spoke softly over the com link.<p>

"Did the rookies provide any kind of description of the subject?" Trowa asked softly.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Yes, according to those useless rookies, he has a 'tail'," he snorted.

"Quiet!" Heero snapped.

"He's on the move!" Quatre suddenly shouted. All four agents checked their scanners. "Heero, Trowa, you try and cut him off. Wufei and I will cover the exits.

The four agents smoothly parted ways, each heading towards a different section of the underground tunnels.

Heero and Trowa surged ahead, intent on cutting off any escape.

Trowa glimpsed a retreating shadow. "He's retreating down C2, I'll cut off his entrance to C5, and steer him towards C8."

"Roger," Heero acknowledge and put on a burst of speed.

* * *

><p>'Dammit he's fast!' Duo thought desperately to himself as he flung his exhausted body down the tunnel. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out one of his knives and flung it behind him, hoping to delay his pursuer. The figure neatly avoided the flying blade and continued to gain on him.<p>

'Damn damn damn!' he repeated in his head, desperately pushing his battered body to its limits. Seeing his pursuer move to block his exit towards the upper levels, he blindly threw himself around the corner only to find himself stumbling into the strong grasp of another body.

Wrenching himself free, he pulled out his last knife as the attacker reached for him again. Furiously stabbing upwards as he fell, he felt his knife connect with flesh and bone before the bulk of his attacker fell on him, painfully forcing the breath from his lungs.

Gasping for breath, he stared up at his assailant, his shocked eyes meeting deep blue.

"You are a very hard man to find Duo Maxwell."

"You! You're that-" gasped Duo before his vision faded to black.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yikes this was hard! Duo just didn't want to be caught and kept insisting I could put it off for another chapter. But I did say lucky '7' was going to be the one so… the 5 boys are officially reunited! I just realized that I never really covered the characters' ages in this story, that will be remedied next chapter. (well.. I more or less hinted that they were older than in the series… keeping the balance between scattering hints and providing answers is harder than I thought it would be… grr)<em>

_Anyways, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint too much. Next chapter I hope to answer more questions, create some more intrigue and of course start fleshing the characters out a bit. _

_As always, thank you for the reviews! They're a super juiced up form of motivation! (if only it could be bottled) And thanks for reading and adding this story to your story alerts!_

_A very happy (early) 4__th__ of July to my southern neighbours! _


	9. Episode Eight: Friend or Foe?

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gundam Wing.

* * *

><p><em>Episode Eight: Friend or Foe? (January 1, 280 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>"The Preventers have taken a highly classified captive into custody. Are the twins both accounted for?"<p>

"Yes Grandpapa, they are lying low for a while. I have informed them that Midek is most unhappy with them."

"My sources at Preventers are having trouble gaining access. Use the girl to find out what you can."

"My thoughts exactly Grandpapa."

* * *

><p>Heero watched intently as Sally checked on her patient, his left hand pressed firmly against the observation window. The figure on the small hospital cot lay unmoving; his face obscured by an oxygen mask. Sally stood at the foot of the bed, examining the tablet monitoring her patient's vital readings and making small adjustments to the medical equipment lining the entire side of the room.<p>

Wufei exited the small lab next to the makeshift hospital room and noticed Heero's stiff posture and tense expression. Stepping next to his colleague, Wufei gently cleared his throat and tried to ease the tension in the air.

"I guess that would be the infamous 'tail' those hysterical rookies described in their report," Wufei smirked, gesturing at the dishevelled braid trailing out from under the covers and hanging just inches above the floor.

"Their report should not be taken at face value; the rookies were untrained and unprepared to deal with the situation. Their responses of fear and panic no doubt caused them to see things that were misleading," Heero replied blandly, his eyes never leaving the small room.

Wufei sighed in exasperation. "I was merely trying to lighten the mood Yuy. We successfully completed the mission yet here you are acting as though we had failed."

"He almost died Wufei."

Wufei mentally cringed when Heero used his first name. Obviously Heero was more distraught than he was letting on. "Well he didn't and Sally's got him stabilized and on his way to recovery."

"He stopped breathing!" Heero stubbornly continued to berate himself. "I tackled him too hard and broke his ribs and punctured a lung!"

"And as I'm sure you'll recall, Trowa re-inflated his lung and got him breathing again. We brought him back here where Sally successfully repaired the damage to his lungs and ribs." Wufei patiently reminded him. "He's now getting treatment for his pneumonia and he's going to be fine."

"He's right you know," Sally agreed, exiting the small hospital room and removing her surgical mask. "Don't beat yourself up Heero. The subject suffers from low-bone density and early onset osteoporosis; his bones are so brittle that it was inevitable that they would break in a fall. Other than a few other minor injuries and deficiencies caused no doubt by the environment he grew up in, the patient is remarkably healthy."

"Duo."

"I'm sorry?"

"His name is Duo," Heero repeated, gazing at the prone figure on the bed once more.

"We don't know that yet for sure," Wufei cautioned.

Heero ignored Wufei's comment and finally turned to face Sally. "What's the prognosis?"

"Well, he's severely emaciated and malnourished so I have him on a specialized IV drip that will provide him with all the necessary vitamins and minerals plus hopefully increase his body mass. I've started him on a bone growth stimulator to treat the osteoporosis I told you about earlier, as well speed up the healing of his ribs and a compound fracture in his right wrist. He'll have to continue treatment with the growth stimulator for a few months but he should be able to recover normal bone density. The other major concern is the pneumonia but he's already responding favourably to the penicillin. I expect him to be mostly recovered within a week or two." Sally smiled gently at Heero.

Heero nodded mutely and returned his gaze to the small hospital bed. "Why is he restrained?" he asked, indicating the straps tethered to the bed frame that disappeared beneath the blankets.

"You can't seriously be asking that Yuy," Wufei scoffed at him. "He's a hostile captive."

"He was only trying to defend himself," Heero argued.

"Maybe," Sally interjected. "But we don't know how he'll react when he wakes up."

"Not to mention that he is astonishingly strong despite his weak state," Wufei added. "He practically severed your hand in two!" he exclaimed while gesturing at Heero's bandaged right arm currently resting in a sling.

"Speaking of which, would you like me to take a look?" Sally offered.

Heero shook his head. "No, Trowa already stitched it up. My hand should be fully operational in a few days."

Sally sighed. "I'll take your word for it. In the meantime, now that you've been briefed on the patient's status, go home and rest. And no more unauthorized independent investigations! If you think something requires investigation, contact one of the others. Do I make myself clear?"

"And none of that 'I'm fine' crap" Sally cut Heero off as he opened his mouth to speak.

Heero nodded in defeat. "I'll go rest in the dorms."

"No," Sally admonished firmly. "I said go home and I mean it. I know that you're planning on sneaking out of the dorms and coming right back here to monitor the patient. Leave that to me, he's safe and on the road to recovery." Sally pulled a wickedly sharp needle out of her pocket, "Now, are you going to run along home like a good little agent or do I have to sedate you?"

Shoulders slumped, Heero reluctantly made his way down the hall and towards the building's underground exit.

"Was it necessary to resort to dishonourable threats?" Wufei grumbled.

"He wouldn't have gone home otherwise. As for you, you march your cute butt down to the dorms and get some rest."

"Woman!" Wufei growled. "How many times must I tell you? Do not demean my physical attributes with ridiculous adjectives!"

Sally winked playfully before stifling a yawn. "Fine, fine. I need you to switch shifts with me in six hours, acceptable?"

Wufei nodded curtly before turning on his heel and marching towards the dorms, a light dusting of red blossoming on his cheeks.

* * *

><p>Relena stifled a yawn as she exited the private library of the Parliament building, the first official meeting for the forming of the new government finally over. Next to her, Relena's foster father chuckled, his soft brown eyes crinkling with mirth.<p>

"Quite boring isn't? Nonetheless my dear, tradition and formal procedure play a very vital part in politics. If we lose order, all that remains is confusion and chaos." Vice-Minister Darlian explained.

Relena nodded. "I understand father, it will be comforting to know that you will be with me every step of the way."

Darlian smiled down at Relena. "And it will be a joy to have such youth and vitality joining our ranks."

"Vice-Minister Darlian!" Duke Dermail's booming voice echoed across the foyer. "I'm glad I caught you before you left. I have some administrative matters I would like to discuss with you if you don't mind?"

"I'm sorry dear," the vice-minister smiled apologetically. "Duty calls. Perhaps Dorothy would accompany you to lunch?" he asked, glancing to where Dorothy stood at her grandfather's side.

"I would be delighted Vice Minister," Dorothy replied, stepping forward to take Relena's arm. "We'll have a lovely lunch out on the patio, won't we Ms. Relena?"

Within moments Relena was whisked out to the enclosed patio and was nibbling on fresh cucumber sandwiches. Across from her, Dorothy feasted on plate of fresh fruit, a mischievous smile playing along her lips.

"It seems as though you are the new darling of the political world Ms. Relena. I wouldn't be surprised if you are appointed as a minister in the new government." Dorothy commented, her forked eyebrows waving slightly in the breeze.

Relena dropped her sandwich in surprise. "Don't be silly Dorothy, this will be my first year in politics, I couldn't dream of becoming a minister."

"Don't be so modest Ms. Relena. You were born into this world, the beloved daughter of both the Peacecraft and Darlian families. The people look to you with hope; you're the supreme symbol of peace. And now, you have the opportunity to lead the new generation into an era of freedom and prosperity. You wouldn't want to let them down, now would you Ms. Relena?"

"Well, if you put it that way, I do have a responsibility to the people…" Relena considered, warming to the idea.

Dorothy smiled in victory. "And what an illustrious leader you would become with a knight by your side, the hero of the people! Nothing would lift the people's spirits higher," she suggested slyly.

"Oh yes," Relena breathed. "We would make a splendid couple wouldn't we?"

"And we already know he holds you in the highest regard Ms. Relena. Alas, he has the soldier's mentality," Dorothy exclaimed dramatically, "he does not believe himself worthy of your affection. He will continue to admire you from afar if you do not give him an indication that the feeling is reciprocated."

"Oh," Relena breathed softly, her eyes taking on the dazed sheen of infatuation. "I never thought of that… perhaps he is a little shy. Actually, that makes sense when you think about the berries…" Relena trailed off in thought, her imagination happily painting an image of a love struck Heero pinning for her love.

Dorothy smirked inwardly while pasting on an expression of concern. "Speaking of which, I've heard some very disturbing news. According to a friend of Grandpapa's, Heero was injured while subduing an extremely dangerous criminal."

"Oh no!" Relena cried, her blue eyes widening with dismay. "Is he alright? And what criminal? Was it an S.A. member? Or perhaps one of the UNDIS he was referring to earlier?"

"I don't know Ms. Relena." Dorothy wore a suitably unsettled expression. "Perhaps Heero would be the best person to ask? I'm sure he would be delighted to hear from you."

Dorothy nimbly speared another slice of fruit with her fork. "Oh, and don't mention the berries. I think it will disconcert him to find out that you know. It can be our little secret."

"Yes, of course," Relena nodded absently, her mind already miles away.

* * *

><p>Sally dropped wearily into the chair next to the small hospital bed. Her eyes scanning the array of medical equipment once more, she turned her attention to her tablet.<p>

'Only three more hours until Wufei takes over,' she thought to herself with a wry smile. 'Hopefully the patient won't wake up while he's in the room'. While she wouldn't mind waking to his stern countenance, Wufei was hardly a comforting beside figure. Chuckling to herself, she focused her attention on the scrolling results of her lab work.

Sally didn't know how much time had passed before a soft tapping at the observation window drew her attention away from her work. Glancing up, she saw Noin smiling tiredly and gesturing into the small room. Sally nodded in response and pointed at her surgical mask and gloves.

Noin entered a moment later, mask and gloves in place. "Are we in the clear?"

"Yes," Sally replied with obvious relief. "It was touch and go for a while. If Trowa hadn't prevented his lung from collapsing, we might have lost the patient."

"The patient? Not the captive?"

"Hippocratic Oath: everyone I treat is a patient, regardless of any affiliation or status," Sally intoned firmly.

Noin nodded. "Where are the boys?"

Sally laughed at that. "It's funny how we still call them that, even though they're all grown up now. Besides," she added wryly, "we're not that much older than them Lu."

Noin grinned unrepentantly, "Old habits die hard. And this new job is definitely making me feel old."

"The hazards of dealing with morons all day I suppose," Sally commented dryly. "Trowa and Quatre went home to rest, Wufei is napping in the dorms and I had to threaten Heero to get him to leave the building. If he followed orders, he should be resting at home as well."

Noin sighed dramatically before turning her attention to the figure on the bed. "Tell me more about the subject. He still looks like a kid!"

"_Patient_," Sally corrected patiently. "And his looks are deceptive. I estimate he's between 23 to 25 years old."

"About the same age as our boys," Noin remarked with surprise. "He looks so small though…"

"I thought so too when I first saw him," Sally continued. "I think he's about the same height as Quatre or even Wufei, he tends to hunch in on himself so it's hard to tell. Still, his environment hasn't been kind to him. He's grossly malnourished and underweight. Looking at the analysis of his DNA, he should be much taller and broader around the shoulders but I assume lack of nutrition stunted his growth."

Noin hummed absently as her eyes roved over the figure on the bed once more. Spotting the length of hair hanging off the side of the bed she stiffened. "That's not a tail is it?"

Sally snorted with laughter. "You really have been spending too much time with over-imaginative rookies. No, I assure you, that's not a tail but a ridiculously long braid of hair that is attached firmly to his head."

Noin rubbed at her temples. "It's official, I'm going insane."

"Should I go fetch the straight-jacket?"

"Not a bad idea." Sobering, Noin asked in a more serious tone, "How were the boys when they came in?"

Sally solemnly thought back to the hours previous when the elite agents had rushed down the corridor towards her, Trowa in the lead, carrying the limp form dressed in dark rags. Behind him came Quatre ushering an ashen-faced Heero who clutched the bloody mess of what was once his hand. Quatre, looking a little green around the edges, monitored Heero to make sure he was keeping pressure on the wound while also glancing worriedly at his other two comrades. Wufei brought up the rear muttering about recklessness and idiots who trailed blood all over the floors.

Trowa had then efficiently laid the unconscious figure on the bed and guided Heero towards another small medical room. Wufei had fetched a bucket and mop and proceeded to clean up the blood while still ranting under his breath. Quatre had watched his fellow agents settle into their respective roles before rushing off to report to Noin. By that time, Sally was too preoccupied with saving the patient's life to take anymore notice of her surroundings.

"Sally?"

"Sorry, just a little lost in thought just now." Sally apologized and continued hastily before Noin could voice her concern. "The boys were their usual selves. Heero completely ignored his injury, Trowa was calm and efficient, Quatre rallied them together and Wufei ranted and raved. I thought Quatre already made his report?"

"He had to send me a virtual report, I got called away to go over security measures for the opening of parliament. They're starting to select members of the new government."

Sally scoffed. "What happened to a democracy? Don't we get a say in who our future leaders will be?"

"The affairs of the colony are too delicate for a democracy right now." Noin raised her hands in surrender. "Their words, not mine!"

Sally sighed deeply. "I just hope the Darlians and Noventas will retain their seats in the government."

Noin nodded in agreement. "I'm terrified that Dermail might be named the new Supreme Minister. I'm 100% positive that he was one of the shadow leaders of the S.A. We just can't find a shred of proof that ties him to the S.A."

* * *

><p>Heero jolted awake to the sound of the alarm siren on his vidphone. Leaping out of his bed and across the small room, he hurriedly answered the phone.<p>

"Yuy."

"Heero!" The display blinked to life and Relena's pretty face filled the screen. "Oh good, you're home!" she exclaimed happily.

"Relena?" Heero faltered for a moment before pushing his surprise aside, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Relena blushed as she took in Heero's shirtless state. "I was calling to see if you're alright," her eyes strayed to Heero's bandaged right arm. "Oh no! You're hurt! Is it serious?"

"It's fine," Heero replied curtly. "Relena, what's the emergency?"

"Emergency?"

"Relena," Heero griped the edge of the small desk, inadvertently flexing his powerful muscles, "I gave you this code to contact me during emergencies only. What is the emergency?"

"You did?" Relena's gaze drifted to watch Heero's rippling muscles, a glazed look entering his eyes.

"Relena…"

Relena snapped back to the present. "I'm sorry Heero, I didn't realize. You have to forgive me though, I was so worried!" she cried, wringing her delicately manicured hands. "I heard that you had been injured while subduing a dangerous criminal and I just couldn't rest until I talked to you."

"I'm fine," he replied tersely, "now if that is all…"

"No wait, Heero! The criminal, you apprehended, was he S.A.? Or the UNDIS you were worried about?"

"That's classified."

"Oh. Whoever he is, I hope he's brought to justice and executed."

Heero's jaw clenched. "I thought you were against war, violence and killing."

"Oh I am," Relena declared with great confidence. "There is no place for criminals in our new world. And he attacked and injured you! _You_, who brought peace to the colonies! He must pay for his heinous crimes!"

"Peace is merely the temporary result of war," Heero intoned flatly, "and injuries are part of being a soldier. Since there is no emergency-"

Seeing that she had somehow upset Heero, Relena scrambled to return to his good graces.

"Wait! Heero, I also wanted to thank you. It was very thoughtful of you to send me those berries. They were delicious!" Relena flashed her most charming smile.

Heero's eyes narrowed slightly before cutting the line.

Back in her study Relena tried to calm her racing heart. 'He was just startled that I knew about the berries, that's all,' she reassured herself. After a few more deep breaths, she smiled dreamily to herself as a rosy blush tinted her cheeks. She had new material for her daydreams; daydreams that would now include a dishevelled and shirtless Heero Yuy.

* * *

><p>Wufei looked up from his reading as Trowa entered the room, surgical mask in place. "Back already?" he asked.<p>

Trowa shrugged, "You know Quatre, he can't rest when there's a puzzle to be solved."

Wufei nodded his head in agreement. "What riddle is he working on now?"

"How he," Trowa tilted his head towards the unmoving figure on the bed, "managed to get to L1."

"It is a perplexing puzzle," Wufei agreed, "Although I am sure that his cloaking device had a large part in it. What happened to that and the other devices we found on his person?"

"Heero had me send them to Howard."

"Was that wise?" Wufei inquired with a slight frown.

"Heero seemed to think so. And I think Howard knows more about this matter than he is letting on."

"So I'm not the only one that doesn't believe his 'soft-hearted and clueless old man' act?" Wufei asked in amusement.

Both agents ceased their amiable conversation when the figure on the bed began to stir and mumble under his breath. Soon his movements became more frantic and his ramblings grew in volume.

"No… go away… lil' mother… get away from the pups! No, no… leave 'em alone. Lil' mother, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry… do you forgive me?"

"Should we be worried?"

"No," Trowa replied calmly, "he's just running a low grade fever."

"Hmph," Wufei snorted. "Whatever it is, he's being noisy. He obviously hasn't been trained in maintaining silence."

"He obviously hasn't received the same training we have. Considering his background, it would be amazing if he received any training at all," Trowa quietly stated.

"Either way," Wufei persisted, "his mad ramblings may reveal something about his personal history and give us some clue as to how he managed to get here."

* * *

><p>Duo was caught within the throes of a nightmare. Menacing shadows were chasing him down the tunnels, cackling madly as they brandished their claws at him.<p>

"Come here, pretty pretty," they hissed.

"Yes, we want to play with the pretty pretty!"

Sprinting into an open plaza, Duo stumbled to a stop as the blood froze in his veins. There crouched in the center of the plaza was the creature from the gardens, his long limbs splayed like a crouching spider. Hanging from his grotesque mouth was the body of lil' mother, struggling feebly as blood dripped down her tail. Below her, scattered at the creature's feet, was her litter of pups, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at him.

"Mmm… tasty…" the creature drawled, swallowing the rodent whole and licking the blood off his lips.

Duo staggered backwards as a scream rose up in his throat. 'No!' his panicked mind yelled, 'Shinigami wasn't supposed to take them!' The small rat and her family were the first companions he had had in months; they didn't deserve to die because he was lonely!

"Get away you freak!" he screamed at the top of his longs. Tearing himself away from the gruesome scene, he fled, begging to be freed from this nightmare.

With a gasp his eyes snapped open and he awoke.

He awoke to an even greater nightmare.

For there, standing at the end of his bed, was the unmistakable tall, lanky and long banged figure of one of the S.A. Liberators' elite.

"Pierrot!" he wheezed in pure terror.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Pierrot, for those who are curious, is the sad and tragic clown found in a lot of European literature. His most famous form might be as the clown in the folksong "Au Claire de la Lune" <em>

_Ok, so my pace is definitely starting to lag… still working out the middle bits. I've decided to reorder a lot of the middle so that's taking a while to sort out in my head. Also have a quite a few wrinkles in the plot I need to iron out… although this is starting to turn out like ironing in real life, I always seem to end up with more wrinkles than I started with.. _

_Once again a big THANK YOU for the reviews! _

_And thank you to all the readers still sticking with this story!_


	10. Episode Nine: Appleseeds

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Nine: Appleseeds (January 2-3, 280 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>"Did the girl discover anything useful?"<p>

"Somewhat. She was able to confirm that there was in fact a captive taken into custody and that Heero Yuy is injured and currently at home."

"No additional information on the captive?"

"No Grandpapa."

"So we have no way of knowing if it's one of ours or an UNDIS."

"No Grandpapa, should we eliminate him?"

"Yes, we cannot take any risks. The captive must be eliminated immediately."

"I concur, Grandpapa. Striking while Heero Yuy is away from the captive is ideal."

* * *

><p>Noin sighed heavily as she took her place at the conference table, opposite her grim-faced agents. Wufei and Trowa solemnly stared at the tabletop while Quatre anxiously fidgeted in his seat as if he were about to burst.<p>

"Alright, what happened last night?"

"The UNDIS recognized Trowa," Wufei stated bluntly. "He woke up and started screaming. We had to subdue and sedate him. Sally believes we should keep under sedation until he recovers further."

Noin raised a brow. "From the capture? I don't see how that rates as a crisis…"

"No," Wufei cut in sharply, "from the S.A. He called Trowa by his codename, _Pierrot_."

Noin swallowed a gasp. "How is that possible? Have you ever come in contact with the subject before?"

Trowa shook his head. "Not that I recall."

"It doesn't make any sense!" Quatre finally exclaimed, unable to contain himself any further. "_Pierrot_ was based out of L3 and his missions were only on L4 and L1… right Trowa?" Quatre asked uncertainly at the end.

"My missions didn't bring me in contact with the UNDIS… at least not the quarantined ones." Trowa replied quietly.

"What do you mean? Trowa, what haven't you been telling us?" Quatre begged, desperation shining in his eyes.

Trowa was silent for a moment before answering slowly. "I did come in contact with a group of _Reborn_ once."

"You mean those UNDIS fools who allowed themselves to be brainwashed into becoming S.A. pawns?" Wufei scorned.

"They were only trying to survive Chang," Noin admonished gently. "It's not our place to judge them. After all, they paid for their mistake with their lives."

"I was part of the team in charge of their 'disposal' three years ago," Trowa admitted with a bowed head.

"You mean _Pierrot _killed them?" Quatre gasped, turning pale.

"My assignment was to arrange their transport to L2. What would happen from there was unclear, although we all knew the end result would be their extermination. There were even rumours that they were going to be used for scientific testing."

"The secret lab on L2?" Noin asked.

"Possible. I was never able to find any details; all I was able to discover was that General Septum was in charge of the operation on L2."

"And since that dishonourable bastard took the coward's way out," Wufei scowled, "we have no way of knowing what actually happened."

"We still may be able to find something in the files that we recovered from the lab," Noin proposed, trying to curtail Wufei's upcoming rant on the injustices created by Septum's suicide.

"Are you saying that our UNDIS might have been a member of the Reborn?" Quatre asked, steering the conversation back to the original topic.

"No, I would have remembered someone as distinctive as him," Trowa replied promptly, "but…"

"Spit it out Barton!" Wufei ordered.

"One of the names in the UNDIS mausoleum seemed familiar. I didn't realize it until now, but there was a 'Hilde Schbeiker' on the list of Reborn that were shipped to L2."

"Do you think she could have been a double agent?" Noin wondered.

Quatre crossed his arms, deep in thought. "That could be a possible link between our UNDIS and _Pierrot_. The other explanation would be that the UNDIS subject somehow caught sight of _Pierrot_ on L3…"

Trowa nodded solemnly, "L3 is the only other explanation. I took great care that no one saw me on my missions on L1 and L4."

"Don't forget that by the time Trowa became an operative, there were no UNDIS left on L1 or L4," Noin remarked.

"What is the likelihood that our UNDIS managed to travel to L3?" Wufei questioned.

"He managed to travel to L1, not to mention undetected. And I still haven't discovered how!" exclaimed Quatre as he jumped from his seat and marched to his desk, the others forgotten and his attention clearly fixed on his current puzzle.

Noin chuckled quietly. "I suppose that this meeting is adjourned. Barton? Chang?"

"I'll go relieve Sally," Chang responded as he rose from his seat.

"I suppose I'll try and find out more about our UNDIS," Trowa sighed, moving to his own desk.

* * *

><p>Duke Dermail stormed into his study and tore off his suit jacket. Rolling up his sleeves, he poured himself a glass of port from a decanter on the sideboard and drained it with large hasty swallows. Calming slightly, he poured himself another glass and began to sip at it more sedately. A second glass emptied, he poured himself a final glass and took it with him to his desk. There, he sat with a resigned sigh and stared at the vidphone.<p>

Steeling himself, he punched a code into the vidphone, let it ring three times before disconnecting the line. He repeated the process twice more with difference codes before cutting the line one last time. Picking up his glass of port, he settled back into his chair to wait.

Dermail did not have to wait long before his vidphone began to ring. Checking the displayed code, he quickly answered the line, the screen remaining blank.

"This has got to be good, you don't often use the emergency code _Duke_," the voice on the line dripped with disdain.

"How dare you use that tone of voice with me!" Dermail barked.

"Then I presume you do not need my services?" the voice mocked.

Dermail ground his teeth in irritation but held his tongue. "I have a target for you. You are in the ideal position to strike."

"The target?"

"The Preventers' most recent captive."

"Access to the captive is severely restricted; it won't be an ordinary job. Give me a few days, I'll see what I can do."

"It needs to be done in all haste, before Heero Yuy returns to duty!" Dermail snapped.

"It will cost you."

"I'll double your usual."

"Make it triple," the voice oozed with greed.

Dermail clenched his hands into tight fists but kept his voice level. "Fine, half now, the other half will be deposited into your account once I receive confirmation of death."

"Then I will take care not to disappoint you Duke," laughed the voice with thinly veiled contempt.

"If you perform this task well, Midek may deem you worthy of the inner circle of the S.A." Dermail tried to bait his operative.

The voice on the line howled with laughter. "I will pass on your very generous incentive. I find that money is a far greater master than any individual could be, no matter how powerful."

"Why you vile little-" Duke Dermail was cut short as the condescending voice disconnected the line.

Dermail buried his head in his hands. He comforted himself with the thought that if all went according to plan, he would no longer need to operate from the shadows.

* * *

><p>Sally trudged wearily out of the elevator and headed towards her lab. Wufei had just taken over guard duty and now she had an IV treatment to concoct before she could collapse onto her cot and catch a few hours of rest. She swiped her ID card and scanned her thumbprint to open the glass sliding doors and made her way to her workstation. Yawning widely, she switched on her computer and turned to remove several vials from the small refrigeration unit next to her worktable.<p>

"Poor boy is severely lacking in just about every single essential nutrient…" she muttered under her breath as she measured out the various components. "Oh, can't forget to change the dosage since he'll be sedated for a few more days," she reminded herself.

"Did you need something Dr. Po?"

Sally jumped. "Walker! I didn't hear you come in!"

The young lab assistant laughed, his green eyes sparkling with mirth. "I've been here the entire midnight shift!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Walker, I didn't see you when I came in…" Sally apologized.

"It's alright," Walker smiled, running a hand through his wavy blonde locks, "you must have a lot on your mind." His handsome face took on a more serious expression. "You've been away from the lab a lot, is everything alright?"

"Walker," Sally warned, "you know what I told you-"

Walker raised his hands in mock surrender. "I know, I know, curiosity killed the cat. I'm just worried, you look exhausted."

Sally smiled tiredly. "Thank you for your concern Walker, now if you don't mind."

"Of course, of course!" the tall assistant grinned, "I'll leave you to your work and I'll get back to mine!"

Sally nodded to herself in satisfaction before turning back to her work. She soon lost herself in carefully measuring and preparing ingredients before adding them to a large beaker that she would later siphon into an IV bag. As she was adding the final components to the beaker, she started when a steaming cup of tea was thrust into her line of vision. Snapping her head up, she stared at the grinning face of her lab assistant.

"I know, I know," Walker pre-empted Sally, "your workstation is off-limits. But you looked like you could use a hot drink."

Sally took the mug of steaming tea with a grateful smile. "Thank you Walker. Is your shift over?" she asked noting that he had his jacket slung over his arm.

"Yeah," Walker smirked, "we're not all workaholics like you are Dr. Po. I've finished running the samples you gave me. I've taken the liberty of uploading them to the lab's databank."

Sally frowned slightly. "You know that I upload everything myself."

Walker shrugged. "Just trying to make your life a little easier Dr. Po., you really look like you could use some help. Promise you'll get some rest once you finish whatever it is you're preparing?"

"Thanks Walker, you're a great lab tech," Sally answered, softening her glare. "And I promise to get some rest. Enjoy your day off."

Walker winked and gave a jaunty wave over his shoulder as he exited the lab.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Quatre let out a whoop of excitement as he jumped from his desk. "I finally figured it out!"<p>

Trowa looked up from his desk and raised a questioning brow.

"It was genius!" Quatre exclaimed happily. "I can't wait to talk to him when he's awake, he has such a creative mind!"

"The UNDIS?"

"Yes, I finally managed to piece together how he got to L1! Of course he depended a lot on his cloaking device."

Trowa gave his excited partner a pointed look.

"Oh right, you want to know how he pulled it off!" Quatre chuckled. "He snuck onboard the Preventers Investigation shuttle as part of the evidence cargo collected from the L2 base."

"I can see how he would get past the scanners with his cloaking device but I checked the evidence cargo with my own eyes," Trowa countered.

Quatre smiled mischievously. "Did you count the body bags?"

"Body bags?"

"Yes!" Quatre laughed with glee. "There were 23 bodies recovered from the base but 24 body bags recorded in the cargo of the shuttle. The Preventers morgue only recorded 23 bodies at intake."

"Bold," Trowa commented with obvious admiration.

"Isn't it brilliant?"

"What's brilliant?" Noin asked from the open doorway, attired from head to toe in her Preventers garb.

"Body bags!" Quatre chortled in delight.

"I never knew you had such a morbid sense of humour," Noin commented dryly.

"The UNDIS stowed away on the Preventers Investigation shuttle in a body bag," Trowa filled in the blanks for Noin.

"That's gutsy," Noin remarked. "Well, I have to go mollify some stuffy politicians, everything under control here?

Trowa nodded, his long bangs shifting slightly with the movement.

"Good. I'll leave my com unit on vibrate so you can contact me if there are any significant developments," Noin informed her agents before disappearing down the hall.

Quatre, still high from the euphoria of solving his latest puzzle turned back to his desk with enthusiasm. "Now, to find out more about our intriguing UNDIS! Do you known when Sally will ease him off the sedatives? I can't wait to meet him!"

"I don't know Quatre," Trowa replied, absently gazing at his computer monitor, "Sally deemed it prudent to keep me away from her patient."

"Oh Trowa," Quatre sighed gently, "Don't worry, we'll get everything straightened out. I'm sure he'll understand when he finds out that you were really on our side. No one can blame you for what you had to do."

Trowa didn't reply but watched Quatre work for several long moments, a mournful look in his eye.

* * *

><p>Sally yawned widely and stretched in her small cot. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at her watch and pushed herself out of bed. Grabbing the IV bag out of the locked cooling unit, she exited the lab and walked briskly towards the elevator. Scanning her card and her thumbprint, she took the elevator to the bottom level and made her way towards the small makeshift hospital room containing her latest patient.<p>

Wufei greeted her with a nod, unfolding himself from his lotus position on the floor. "Did you get some rest?"

"Yes," Sally nodded, "and the patient?"

"Slept soundly the entire time, not like he was going to do anything else with all the sedatives you gave him."

Sally replaced her patient's IV with the fresh bag she had just brought down. "You never know, patients can react in unpredictable ways to sedation. And this patient is full of surprises," she commented, checking Duo's oxygen levels.

"Everything looks good here, thanks for keeping watch." Sally smiled, "I hate to ask, but could you go check on Heero for me? I'm worried that he's not at home resting but off cavorting on some other self-proclaimed mission."

"Alright," Wufei agreed. "Heero's monthly shipment just came in on the Preventers supply ship. I'm sure delivering his order would be a sufficient justification to make a house call."

"Perfect," Sally smirked. "Don't tell him about the patient's little incident with Trowa."

"I'm not stupid," Wufei grumbled. "We both know that there would be no keeping Heero away if he finds out."

"Good. Oh, and if he's not at home, track him down and let him know he has an appointment with Mr. Needle!" Sally declared, brandishing said needle.

Wufei shook his head as he exited the room. "What is with that woman and her needles?" he muttered to himself.

* * *

><p>Dermail rode silently in the back of his chauffeured car, staring absently out at the passing scenery. The car came to a halt in front of the Parliament building and a uniformed attended rushed forward to pull his car door open.<p>

The attendant bowed and tipped his hat. "Good morning Sir! Colony climate controls are rumoured to be malfunctioning today and word is that things might get a little chilly later. I took the liberty of bringing you a jacket Sir."

Dermail absently thanked the man and allowed the attendant to help him into the jacket.

"Have a good day Sir. I hope today's outcome will be in your favour," the attendant bowed with a flourish before disappearing into the growing crowd outside the Parliament building.

Dermail gazed disapprovingly after the chatty attendant when he felt the weight in his jacket pocket. Drawing out a small digital box, he frowned in confusion at his hand. Noticing that the device was emitting faint pulses much like a heartbeat, he finally deciphered the strangely dancing line on the screen: a heart monitor.

Pocketing the device once more, Dermail smiled for the first time in days as he made his way into the spacious lobby of the Parliament building.

* * *

><p>Hearing a sharp knock at his door, Heero checked his apartment's monitoring equipment. Seeing Wufei standing patiently at his doorstep with a small crate in his hands, Heero quickly unlocked and opened the door.<p>

"Yuy," Wufei greeted with a small bow of his head. "I trust you have been getting some rest?"

Heero merely grunted in reply, stepping aside to allow his fellow agent to enter his small one-roomed apartment.

Wufei glanced around the room and took in the unmade bed and the half-finished remains of a nutrition pack. "Sally will be glad to hear that you've been sleeping and eating. Although," Wufei placed the crate on the narrow kitchen counter, "perhaps you would enjoy something more food-like than nutrition packs?"

Heero didn't respond but moved forward to pry open the crate. Quietly examining the gleaming red apples, he nodded to himself in satisfaction and selected an apple, biting into it with vigour. Glancing up to see Wufei watching him studiously, he picked up another apple and held it out to his visitor.

"Thank you," Wufei accepted graciously. "Could I trouble you for a knife and plate?"

The requested items were duly handed over as Heero continued to munch on his apple. Delicately placing the apple on his plate, Wufei cut into the apple with precise movements. Efficiently slicing the apple into uniform wedges, he left the core intact. Popping the first slice into his mouth, he closed his eyes in obvious pleasure. Polishing off the remaining slices, Wufei picked up his plate and made his way to the small sink.

"Don't-"

"I know Yuy," Wufei cut him off, amusement colouring his tone. "Don't throw away the seeds. Where is the box?"

Heero produced a small, intricately carved wooden box. Wufei carefully extracted the seeds from the apple core with the point of his knife. Seeds extracted, he washed and dried them before adding them to the small mound of apple seeds within the box.

"Have any of the seeds sprouted?"

Heero glanced at the row of miniature pots lining the ledge of his room's only window and shook his head mutely.

"Ah," Wufei observed. "Don't give up Yuy, I'm sure one of the seeds will sprout one day."

"I hope so," Heero finally spoke.

"Thank you for the hospitality," Wufei pronounced with a small bow as he made his way towards the door. "I will show myself out."

Heero watched as Wufei let himself out of the apartment before returning his gaze to the window ledge.

"I really hope so," Heero whispered once more as he picked up the knife and began to pry the seeds out of his own apple core.

* * *

><p>Sally was jolted out of her light doze when the shrill alarm of the heart monitor pierced the air. Rushing to her patient's bedside, she stared at the readings displayed on the heart monitor in horror.<p>

"That can't be!" she exclaimed as she grabbed a syringe from a nearby drawer and injected it into her patient. "Come on…" she urged desperately.

The alarm continued to sound shrilly and her patient began to convulse. Punching on the com unit, Sally frantically shouted, "Trowa, Quatre I need you here stat!"

Footsteps thundered down the hall as Sally grabbed another filled syringe and plunged it into her patient's arm. Trowa and Quatre burst into the room as Sally grabbed the crash cart from the corner of the room and wheeled it next to the bed.

"Trowa, I need you to tube him!" Sally commanded, "Quatre, get him clear of these blankets, I need to restart his heart."

Trowa quickly removed the patient's oxygen mask and opened his mouth to insert the ventilator as Sally coated her paddles with gel.

"Clear!" she shouted, paddles posed above her patient's bony chest.

The heart monitor's alarm continued to ring shrilly as the body below jolted with the shock.

"Clear!" Sally yelled again, sweat beading on her forehead. "Dammit, don't give up now!" she shouted at the limp figure below her.

Quatre remained frozen at the foot of the bed, clutching a bundle of blankets, his horrified eyes glued to the single flat line floating across the monitor.

* * *

><p>An insistent buzzing in her pocket jolted Noin to awareness as she half-heartedly listened to politicians debate the finer points of governing. Automatically reaching into her pocket, Noin pulled out her small com unit and felt her blood freeze. Swallowing shakily, she shoved the device back into her pocket as a cold sweat began to bead on her temples.<p>

"Is everything alright Ms. Noin?" Duke Dermail asked from across the room.

"Uh, yes of course," Noin struggled not to stammer. "Just a small chill in the air," she lied badly.

"Malfunctioning colony climate controls, I hear," the Duke agreed with a sickly sweet smile on his face.

"Yes, I suppose that's it," Noin struggled to get past her constricting throat as the message played itself over and over in head.

_UNDIS Subject expired at 2134 hours. Unnatural causes suspected._

Across from her, Dermail smiled smugly as he glanced covertly at the horizontal line scrolling across his small heart monitor.

* * *

><p>Heero dashed into the cool night air, his com unit crushed to pieces in his tightly clenched fist.<p>

"You can't be dead Duo!" he growled at the shadows. "Not after I finally found you!"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Ok… that was pretty intense to write. It's a pretty crucial chapter in the story (hint, look at the title!) Please don't let this chapter scare you off. There's lots of good stuff to come including a totally badass Trowa, relationship stuff etc. etc.<em>

_About the medical scenes, I'm not an expert so I probably made quite a few errors there. All my knowledge comes from TV shows and a few courses in Bio…_

_Yes, Quatre is calling Trowa 'Pierrot' at certain times. This will come into play later on in the story. _

_So I realized that I've been a little unclear in my writing about all the different factions and what not so I've decided to rectify that (even I confuse myself most days…) I guess that means I need to rewrite some chapters but I feel like I'll lose the story if I do that now so I thought I'd cheat and do what a lot of fantasy/sci-fi novels do and provide a glossary. (And sorry, the confusion was totally my bad!)_

**AE:** _'After Earth'._ The era that began after Earth was completely evacuated.

**Advantaged**: Individuals' whose genes were altered while still in embryo form. Their genes are screened for genetic defects, which are then eliminated, and receive the 'best' genes from both parents. 'Advantaged' are only born from government approved pairings. At present, only the advantaged populate the colonies.

**S.A.: **_'Sanctity for the Advantaged'._ A political/military group, that gained power during the mid-second century AE, who believed that UNDIS were a threat to the colonies with their 'defective' genes and systematically eradicated the UNDIS population.

**S.A. Liberators:** Military units under the command of the S.A. The Liberators were tasked with 'liberating' the human race from 'defective' genes, more specifically the UNDIS population. Their operations were covert at first, but soon turned to full out massacre of UNDIS populations.

**S.A. Liberators ELITE:** Highly trained soldiers within the Liberators often tasked with eliminating opposition against the S.A. and assassinating high-ranking public figures who were sympathetic to the UNDIS.

**S.A. Reborn:** UNDIS individuals who were recruited by the S.A. and officially 'pardoned.' They worked as spies and informants against the UNDIS. They were later exterminated by the S.A.

**UNDIS: **_'Unauthorized Disadvantaged'._ Individuals conceived naturally without any genetic screening or authorization by the government. Under S.A. rule, UNDIS children were taken from their parents and placed in special orphanages. When they reach adulthood, they were given menial jobs and quarantined from the rest of the population. They are widely believed to no longer exist.

**Rebels:** Individuals who fought against the S.A. Their ranks consisted mainly of UNDIS who had fled underground although a few 'advantaged' joined their cause.

**Preventers:** A volunteer military unit that protected the 'advantaged' public against the S.A.; now an official peacekeeping force.

**Gundam Ten:** A super-elite group of guerrilla soldiers who fought to take down Liberator cells and overthrow the S.A. Not much is known about this group, their name is believed to come from their distinctive body armour and the number in their unit. Heero Yuy is the only publicly known member of the Gundam Ten.

**Sweepers: **A loosely-interconnected group of salvagers, known widely for their great technological prowess and numerous inventions. They travel around space, collecting debris and searching for new supplies of resources as well as maintaining the working order of the colonies and resource satellites. Headed by Howard, they are rumoured to be responsible for supplying the Gundam Ten with their armour and weapons, as well as one of the founding entities of the Preventers.

_I hope this helps! This glossary will also be posted in the prologue for easy access. There are more terms to come but I'll add them to the individual chapters since they would give away major parts of the story. _


	11. Episode Ten: The Hunter

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

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><p><em>Episode Ten: The Hunter (January 4, 280 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>"What the hell happened?" Noin shouted, storming into the basement office, flinging her jacket across the room and violently wrenching off her tie. "How the hell was someone able to get to him? This level is supposed to be secure!" she roared at an ashen-faced Wufei and Quatre.<p>

"We don't know," Wufei responded in a strained voice. "Sally thinks it's some kind of neurotoxin that paralyzed his lungs. She doesn't know if it was introduced into his system or if his body produced it in reaction to the drugs…"

"We're not even sure if he was killed or died due to complications?" Noin snapped.

"No, Sally-" Wufei began before Noin angrily cut him off.

"Where is Sally? I went to the morgue first thing and she wasn't there and neither was the body!"

"She's in her lab, trying to determine which specific neurotoxin was the cause of death." Wufei informed his furious commander.

"Why isn't she performing an autopsy? It's been over six hours since he died, and why the hell hasn't he been moved to the morgue? He's not still in that damn room is he?"

"No, Trowa and Heero him moved to the dorms," Quatre whispered tightly.

"Oh God," Noin groaned. "Don't tell me… Heero is refusing to let go of the body?"

"In a matter of speaking…" Wufei offered but Noin had already left the room and was storming down the hallway at a fast clip, Quatre and Wufei hot on her heels.

"Commander, wait!" Quatre called desperately after Noin's tall form. "There's something you should know!"

"Can it Winner, if you're trying to convince me to foster Yuy's unhealthy obsession with this UNDIS, forget it!"

"I don't think you understand Commander," Wufei tried.

"Oh I understand just fine! I'm running an agency where my top agents allow a classified captive to be killed under their watch and then form an attachment with his corpse!"

With one final outburst of anger, Noin reached the 'dorms'. After scanning the short corridor lined with numerous doors, she marched up to the only door with a sliver of light escaping along the bottom. Forgoing knocking, she slammed the door open and froze at the sight that greeted her.

* * *

><p>Dorothy stifled a yawn as she crept silently down the hallway towards her grandfather's study. Although it was ridiculously easy to plant ideas in Relena's head, the process was surprisingly tedious and time-consuming. Relena had been an interesting challenge at first, but Dorothy was fast getting bored with the girl's simple minded nature; the girl only thought of two things: peace and Heero Yuy. There was no excitement, no fire in her veins, just a sense of entitlement that was as boring as they came. If there was one thing that Dorothy despised most, it was the lack of a challenge. And if her grandfather would not give her a suitable outlet for her talent, she would find one for herself.<p>

Finally reaching Duke Dermail's study, she pressed her ear to the door and strained to hear the conversation taking place inside.

"… yes of course, we've had a few setbacks but we can regain lost ground easily," her grandfather's voice rumbled through the wooden door.

"What of the Darlians and the Peacecrafts?" Another voice asked, deeper and sharper.

'Midek,' Dorothy thought to herself with a cat-like smile.

"Dorothy has the girl well in hand. I am dealing with Darlian, I'm confident that I can persuade him to step down to make way for his daughter."

"Is that really wise?" the other voice replied with misgivings evident in its tone.

"Of course, we consolidate all the Peacecraft and Darlian influence to one girl. She may become very powerful, but once we remove her from power, both families will crumble."

"I see," said the voice. "You are confident of success?"

"She is nothing but a spoiled, naïve girl," Dermail scoffed. "She will hardly pose a problem; Dorothy already has her eating out of her hand. And if all goes to plan, we can bring down Heero Yuy along with the girl."

"Very good Duke," the voice praised. "What of the problem we have at Preventers?"

"Taken care of. The subject has been terminated."

"Good. See if you can't bring the assassin to our side, he will be useful in the future," the voice ordered.

"I will see what I can do. He is ruled by money, it may cost us a great deal to bring him completely to our side," Dermail answered with some small amount of frustration.

"Cost is no issue. With the cloned credits, our resources are unlimited."

"Of course my lord."

"Good. Report back in a week. I will send you the details later," the voice commanded.

Hearing the distinct click of a communication line being cut, Dorothy rose silently from her crouch and hurried down the hallway with a wicked grin on her face.

* * *

><p>Heero looked up from his bedside vigil as Noin slammed the door to the small dorm room open. A single medical tube ran from the inside of his right elbow to the pale arm resting on the bed, the flowing blood within the tube a stark contrast to the bed's white sheets. His uninjured left hand firmly gripped the arm's thin wrist, two fingers pressed against the wrist's pulse point.<p>

"What? How… but…" Noin sputtered as she gazed at the prone form on the bed, his chestnut bangs and oxygen mask obscuring his face.

"Simple, the UNDIS is still alive," Trowa stated calmly from where he leaned against the back wall, his posture relaxed and nonchalant.

"Duo," Heero growled from where he sat facing the bed, his eyes returning to its occupant.

"Sorry, Duo Maxwell is still alive."

"But… the message," Noin faltered.

"Not entirely untrue," Wufei spoke up as he stepped around Noin's frozen figure and into the cramped room. "His heart did stop briefly, but Sally was able to get it started again. I see he's off the artificial ventilation," he remarked to Trowa.

"He started breathing on his own about an hour ago, it seems as though Heero's blood is working," Trowa answered, handing a bag-valve mask to Wufei.

"I thought it was a neurotoxin… Heero's blood?" Noin stumbled over her words as she tried to free herself from the shock. "Sally approved this?"

"No," Heero answered, "I made Trowa perform the transfusion. Dr. J insured that I was immune to every poison and toxin known to man. It was logical that my blood would neutralize whatever toxin is in his bloodstream."

Noin exhaled noisily. "What the hell is going on? First I get a message that the UNDIS is dead, now I come back and he's alive… and why isn't he connected to any equipment?"

"To maintain proof of death," Trowa explained quietly. "An assassin must always produce proof of death in order to receive payment. In cases of a remote or indirect kill like this one, monitoring equipment is often hacked into to provide that proof."

"But why message me that he's dead?" Noin demanded.

Trowa shrugged slightly. "If it's a direct targeting like I suspect, whoever ordered his death was most likely in the meeting at Parliament. Seeing your reaction would cement their belief that the UNDIS, sorry, Duo is dead."

"So you made the last six hours of my life unbearable based on a hunch?" Noin snapped.

Trowa met Noin's gaze evenly and unapologetically. "We needed a genuine reaction of shock, otherwise we would have lost our slight advantage."

"I agreed with Trowa's decision," Wufei piped up. "Although not the most honourable of tactics, it was the best call."

Noin scowled but didn't press the matter further. "And if this was a deliberate attempt on his life like you suspect, how did they manage it?"

"Whoever it was manipulated one of us to unknowingly deliver the poison and then monitored the target remotely through the medical equipment," Trowa deduced calmly.

"How can you be so sure? About all of this?" Noin asked, still doubtful.

"It's what _Pierrot_ would have done," Quatre answered softly from behind Noin. "Are you going hunting?" he asked Trowa.

Trowa dropped his head to avoid Quatre's heart-stricken gaze. "You know I have to."

Quatre sighed and turned away. "Be safe," he whispered brokenly before he disappeared down the hall.

"That would be my cue," Trowa sighed as he pushed himself off the wall. "Heero, the toxin should be out of his system by now, it should be safe to detach him, you don't want too much of your blood in his system. Wufei, can you stay here and keep an eye on them both?"

Wufei inclined his head in assent, "Of course."

"If you would excuse me Commander?"

Noin nodded curtly, "Just make sure no one can trace it back here, do I make myself clear Agent Barton?"

"Crystal clear," Trowa moved to the doorway.

"One more thing," Noin added, her eyes turning soft. "Be careful out there Trowa. Quatre is not the only one who worries for your safety."

Trowa paused for a moment in the doorway before slinking into the shadows.

* * *

><p>"I trust you were satisfied with the proof of death?" The handsome man smiled in the dark room.<p>

"Very, the second source of proof was most satisfying. It was a real treat to see that woman put in her place," the voice from the darkened vidphone replied.

The man laughed, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Now, my credits?"

"They have already been transferred into your account. You should be able to access them first thing in the morning."

"Good. It was a pleasure doing business with you. I must say, this last job was challenging in a most satisfying way. Now if you'll excuse me," the man reached to cut the connection.

"Wait!" the voice pleaded desperately. "I have a proposal for you. How would you like to join our inner circle and be on permanent retainer? I can assure you that you would be rewarded most handsomely."

The man smirked. "Thanks but no thanks. I'm off for a well deserved vacation, shacking up with you old coots just isn't on the agenda," he laughed gleefully as he cut the line.

"A vacation sounds like a wise idea," a voice floated out from the shadows. "A _permanent_ vacation."

"Who's there?" the man shouted, whirling around and brandishing a sharp blade. "Show yourself!"

Trowa jumped nimbly from his perch on the window and casually stepped into the room with his hands in his pockets.

The man laughed as he scrutinized the figure dressed in jeans and a simple turtleneck with no weapon in sight. "You must be either very unlucky or insane to break in here," he baited, ignoring the fact that his window was on the 37th floor.

Trowa shrugged as he stepped into the dim light, revealing his long-banged hair and cool green eye. "I believe it is you who is unlucky."

"Who are you?" the man snarled, his fear beginning to grow. Wasting no time, he lunged forward with his blade, murder in his eyes. "I'll cut it out of you if I have to!"

Trowa smoothly evaded the oncoming assault by nimbly leaping into the air and flipping over his opponent to land silently behind him. Grabbing the man's arm before he could react, Trowa quickly disarmed him with expertly applied pressure to the man's wrist. Howling, the man wrenched himself away and kicked out at Trowa while lunging for his blade. Sidestepping the man's desperate kick with another flip into the air, Trowa landed neatly in front of his prey and slammed him into the wall with his large hands over the man's mouth and throat. Stumbling to his knees from the shock of the blow, the man stared up at Trowa and his eyes widened in horror as he glimpsed Trowa's hidden eye gleaming in the faint light.

"I am nameless," Trowa answered the man's earlier question, "but if you must call me something, call me Pierrot. Unfortunately for you, those who have laid eyes on my true form never live to tell the tale."

* * *

><p>After assisting Heero in removing the transfusion line between him and the patient, Wufei found himself with little else to do. With Heero occupying the only chair, Wufei was forced to sit cross-legged on the cramped room's desk. He idly watched as Heero continued to monitor the young man's pulse and breathing for an hour before he grew weary of the stillness in the room.<p>

Clearing his throat Wufei broke the silence. "Are you certain Trowa is right and that it was a specifically targeted assassination attempt?"

Heero nodded as he continued to gaze at the prone form on the bed. "He wouldn't have gone hunting if he didn't have a strong suspicion. Besides, what else could it have been?"

"An attack on Preventers as a whole," Wufei supplied. "The medical lab isn't as secure as this level, drugs and supplies could have been contaminated in the attempts of harming anyone receiving medical treatment here."

Heero considered the possibility briefly. "Possible, but not likely. I believe that Duo's medication was tampered with specifically."

Wufei thumped his head against the wall behind him in frustration. "Either way, Sally's not going to be happy since it means that she was the one that unintentionally poisoned the UNDIS. I wonder what the woman is up to now…"

"She's still in her lab, trying to identify the specific neurotoxin that was used," Quatre informed from the open doorway, wearing his wig and glasses.

Wufei arched an eyebrow. "Why are you in disguise?"

"I just came from the lab," Quatre answered. "It's in lockdown but it doesn't hurt to be too careful. Sally's still determined to prove that the contamination couldn't have happened in her lab but…"

"But?"

"Trowa was right," Quatre admitted. "The medical equipment and database were hacked into and the heart monitor was being accessed remotely."

Wufei let out a deep breath. "Have you informed Sally?"

"I didn't have the heart to. What's more troubling is that when I tried to determine where the digital breach came from, it traced back to Sally's workstation."

"That's not possible!"

"I know Wufei, it's just…" Quatre faltered, "I sent a report to Noin… she said that she would break the news to Sally. I just couldn't tell Sally, not when she's already feeling so guilty about almost killing the UNDIS."

"Duo," Heero interjected. "His name is _Duo_, not 'the UNDIS'."

"Heero, we don't know that for sure…" Quatre tried to mollify his colleague. "I know you have a hunch based on what you found on L2 but…"

"His name is Duo," Heero repeated firmly.

"And how do you know that?" Wufei demanded from atop the desk.

Heero glared at his fellow agents in turn before turning back to the bed and calling out softly, "Duo… Duo!"

"Hhhmmph…" the figure on the bed moaned slightly. His eyes cracked open to reveal slivers of violet. "Lil' mother? Is that you?"

* * *

><p>Duo floated in the shades of gray between oblivion and wakefulness. Someone was calling his name, but no one knew his name anymore. Unless…? He struggled sluggishly to respond, only managing a garbled moan. After grappling to regain consciousness a moment longer, he was able to lift his heavy eyelids slightly.<p>

"Lil' mother? Is that you?" he croaked past his dry and aching throat.

A straw was gently pushed into his mouth and he greedily sucked down the blessedly cool liquid. His thirst quenched, he rolled his head away and tried to focus his fuzzy mind.

"Where are the pups? Are they safe?" He managed to pry his eyes open further and gazed into deep blue.

"Huh?" His mind was gradually waking up and insisting that something wasn't right. Squinting, he focused his blurry vision on the face filling his vision and it finally clicked.

"Hey! You aren't lil' mother! Bastard!" he snarled and spat for good measure. As he tried to lever himself into an upright position a darker head filled his vision and he felt a sharp pinch at the junction of his neck and shoulder. His vision darkening, he fought to remain conscious.

"What did you do that for Chang?" the blue-eyed man growled.

"Just a simple nerve pinch, he was getting too distressed for his body to handle. Relax, he'll awaken in a few hours feeling much calmer and more relaxed."

* * *

><p>Sally's hands trembled as she threw another petri dish into the incinerator. Logically, she knew that the attempt on her patient's life stemmed from her lab, but her pride refused to believe that anyone could have breached her lab's security. If there was one thing Sally prided herself on above all else was that she ran her lab with a firm hand. Nothing should have escaped her attention when it came to her self-proclaimed territory, nothing. Yet the evidence was glaring her right in the face and she still couldn't even determine the specific neurotoxin that caused her patient's lungs to shut down. Blinded by her denial, she continued to search for every naturally-occurring explanation until her insistently beeping com unit forced her to abandon her work.<p>

"What!" she barked as she viciously answered the call.

"I need you in the morgue," Noin's voice responded through the unit.

Sally gasped and clutched her com unit tighter. It couldn't be! Had she not only lost control of her lab but of the patient as well? Biting back tears, she left the lab with her head held high. She couldn't show weakness, not now.

Reaching the Preventers morgue, she pushed past the double doors and winced as a blast of frigid air washed over her body. Noin and Trowa stood across the room from her, next to an autopsy table currently occupied by a sheet clad figure. Approaching the table, Sally gave an involuntary cry.

"Walker! What happened to him? Was he attacked?"

Noin pulled out a chair and gestured to it. "You're dead on your feet Sally, sit down before you collapse."

"I'm fine! Why is Walker dead?" Sally insisted as Noin firmly pushed her into the chair, both her hands on Sally's trembling shoulders.

"Sally," Noin said firmly, "I wish I wasn't the bearer of bad news, and I don't know how else to tell you…"

"What? Just spit it out Lu!"

"Walker was the assassin."

"No! Impossible!" Sally denied vehemently. "He was a good lab tech, a good worker and a decent man!"

"He was a chameleon," Trowa supplied quietly. "He had a talent for manipulation and being exactly the man you wanted him to be."

"But… he's been working for me for several months…"

"He was a man of opportunity. He saw an opening in the lab to glean information to sell and ultimately put himself in an ideal position to take out a target if the need arose. He most likely positioned himself to target one of us, but the UNDIS was just as lucrative a target."

"But how?"

"Think back Sally," Noin urged, "Did Walker change is behaviour lately? Show an interest in what you were doing? Worked on something he shouldn't have?"

"Oh God!" Sally exclaimed. "He came up to me while I was making the special IV treatment."

Trowa stepped forward to catch Sally's gaze. "Did he divert your attention with anything? Was he holding anything?"

"He gave me a cup of tea… and he had his jacket slung over his arm," Sally replied brokenly. "He must have slipped something into the solution while my attention was on the tea… And he said something about uploading files to the medical database… I should have known!"

"It's alright Sally," Noin soothed. "He had us all fooled. I approved his employment, remember? We'll just have to improve our screening methods and upgrade the security in the lab. Let's just be thankful that we managed to get through this without any casualties. In fact, we might have the upper hand now, right Barton?"

Trowa nodded. "Quatre isolated the digital breach. It was contained to the medical databanks only, most of which were encrypted. All other databases are secure and online. Quatre and Wufei are working to increase the complexity of our encryption programming."

Noin breathed a sigh of relief. "Do we need to worry about anyone missing Walker?"

"No, he was an independent assassin and spy, working for the highest bidder. He was very careful to keep is identity secret. He mentioned to his employer that he was going to take a vacation. I created a false trail that made it seem as though he had run off to a resort in L4."

"Any success in discovering the identity of his employer?"

"No, he refused to divulge anything about his employer, even in exchange for his life. It appears that he valued his reputation more than his life. Quatre is working on tracing the money trail as well as the communications net."

Sally moaned and buried her head in her hands. "This is a disaster! If my high-clearance lab was breached, there is no doubt that there are more moles within the organization. How long will be able to keep up the charade that the UNDIS is 'dead'?"

"I have a solution for two of our problems," Trowa offered, pointing to the body on the table. "Walker will be cremated in place of our UNDIS, no one will think to check the cremated remains."

"True," Noin noted. "If we pretend to be covert with the remains, they will assume that we are trying to cover up the death and believe it is the UNDIS."

Trowa held out a card chip to Sally, "And here is a very generous donation from Walker that you can use to upgrade your lab, maybe even build a separate lab downstairs. Don't worry, it's untraceable."

Sally accepted the card chip with a weary chuckle. "I almost feel like we're in the middle of the rebellion again." Sobering, she continued, "Even so, the UNDIS remains at risk as long as he's in our custody, he needs to be hidden someplace safe…"

Trowa gave a ghost of a smile. "I believe Heero already has a plan."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Still fiddling with the middle section and its bogging down my writing. Feeling pretty unmotivated these days too… must be the sunny weather outside. Anyways, more of an information chapter and a bit of a look into Trowa's character as well as his relationship with Quatre. Trowa's turning out to be quite chatty, which I don't like… but since he's the one with most of the answers, it's unavoidable. Duo needs to wake up and start mouthing off but he still insists on napping… room enough for that next chapter. <em>

_Anyways, thanks again for the reviews! Thank you also for continuing to read. Heero and Duo's relationship will begin to come to life within the next few chapters I think, so stay tuned!_

_Btw… I hope the glossary helped clear up some confusion, yes, no?_


	12. Episode Eleven: Jester's Mask

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

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><p><em>Episode Eleven: Jester's Mask (January 5, 280 AE)<em>

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><p>Quatre trudged wearily into the main office and slumped into his desk chair. Wufei looked up from where he sat in the small kitchenette, reading tablet and the remains of breakfast on the table in front of him.<p>

"Back already?"

"I could say the same for you," Quatre retorted.

"I never left." Wufei stood from his seat and stretched languidly before collecting his dishes and placing them in the water-less cleaning unit.

"You left Sally home alone? Why-"

"Noin took her home," Wufei interrupted his friend. "Sally wouldn't have tolerated my company last night. The damn woman has got some crazy obsession of not appearing weak."

"Considering your frequent lectures about weaklings knowing their place, I'm not too surprised."

"Sally knows I don't consider her weak," Wufei snorted as he jabbed the cleaning unit on.

"Are you so sure? Your attitude towards women and others you deem weak often leaves room for misunderstandings," Quatre stated.

Wufei huffed indignantly. "A lot of trouble and grief could be avoided if people realized their capabilities and limitations."

"And where would we be if we didn't push our limits?" Quatre countered. "We would have continued to be at the mercy of the S.A.!"

"Touche Winner," Wufei acknowledged with a slight bow of his head. "Is everything alright? You're being more confrontational than you usually are."

"I'm fine," Quatre quickly replied, "just had a restless night, you know how I am when there's a puzzle to solve." Quatre smiled but his eyes remained haunted.

"Where's Trowa?"

Quatre flinched visibly but continued to smile. "He's busy covering up Walker's tracks and hiding the UNDIS' survival."

Seeing Quatre's reaction to Trowa's name, Wufei chose wisely not to comment. "Ah, and I suppose Duo is the puzzle that is keeping you awake at night?"

"You're calling him Duo now too? I know he responded to the name last night, but he seemed to be half-delirious."

Wufei smiled smugly. "I've been doing a little research of my own, and the evidence clearly points to our UNDIS guest as one Duo Maxwell."

Quatre's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Wufei nodded, "I think so. Come, Nataku will show you," Wufei led Quatre over to his desk with its huge array of monitors. "I started doing a search of all the data we have on the UNDIS with the parameters 'Duo Maxwell'. I didn't find an exact match to his name, but I did find a 'Maxwell Church & Orphanage'." Wufei tapped a few keys and the image of a dilapidated church popped up on a screen.

"Was it an S.A. Institution?" Quatre asked, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of the building.

"Not originally, no," Wufei replied as he consulted his tablet. "It was a charitable institution founded by the Maxwell family, a long line of Catholic missionaries. It was later appropriated by the S.A. and became an UNDIS only facility. The Maxwell Orphanage was one of the last UNDIS orphanages to be exposed to the QR145 virus."

"And Duo was one of the orphans there? I thought there were no survivors from the orphanages…" Quatre wondered out loud.

"According to the records, there were no survivors and all the bodies were accounted for. I did find a discrepancy in the records though." Wufei replied as he brought up the orphanage's records onto another screen, highlighting a few key areas.

"A discrepancy?" Quatre asked, studying the records intently.

"Yes, as you can see here," Wufei pointed to the first list, "there was a headcount of seventy-nine UNDIS and seventy-nine bodies were collected after the QR145 attack. However, examining the records further, I found that there were seventy-eight recorded UNDIS and one advantaged."

Quatre scrunched his forehead in bewilderment. "A difference between the headcount and the official record? But why?"

"I wondered the same thing. It seems as though the headcount was used for rationing food, water and other basic necessities for the UNDIS; these numbers were provided by those running the orphanages. The official records were kept by S.A. officials and contained basic data such as age and a DNA profile."

Quatre scanned through the list of rations Wufei brought up and scowled. "_That_ was their ration allocation? How could they survive on so little?" Pushing his disgust aside, Quatre returned to the puzzle at hand. "So the S.A. only relied on the UNDIS headcount when they distributed the fake vaccine and collected the bodies?"

"I came to the same conclusion. That means there was one UNDIS unaccounted for. I discovered that the nun running the orphanage, one Sister Helen and also the only advantaged, had started the process of adoption for an abandoned UNDIS child. The application was never completed; it had only been submitted a few days before the QR145 virus was released." Wufei brought up a copy of the incomplete application and a small photo of a young woman in a nun's habit.

Quatre's fingers began to tap a rhythm on the table, the rhythm getting faster as he unravelled the mystery. "If we assume this child is Duo, then he must have been a street child, with no record of his birth or his existence. But there were seventy-nine bodies… the nun?" he gasped.

Wufei nodded grimly. "The logical explanation is that the nun took the child's place."

Quatre scanned the screens once more, re-processing the information Wufei presented him. "Still… I don't see any real correlation between the name 'Duo Maxwell' and this unknown child that escaped the QR145 attack…. Oh! The QR145 antibodies! So, the child is exposed to the virus but somehow survived? But I thought there was no cure… unless…"

"Exactly," Wufei agreed, bringing up an array of lab reports. "I ran a preliminary molecular scan of the plant samples Heero and Trowa brought back from the UNDIS hideout. "None of them had any properties that would have countered the UNDIS virus, but I did find that one of the samples was an exact match to the leaves we recovered at the scene of the altercation at the Krushrenada Gardens."

"So we've found a direct link between our UNDIS and the hideout on L2…" Quatre mused, "And we can't rule out the possibility that the UNDIS did somehow find a cure. I think you're right, our UNDIS is Duo Maxwell." Quatre grinned, "I guess we can officially call him Duo now!"

Wufei chuckled at Quatre's enthusiasm before remembering something. "Before I forget, Noin was in here earlier and suggested that you be the first to talk to him when he wakes up. Yuy isn't too happy but the UNDIS has already reacted negatively to him; not to mention Yuy's interpersonal skills… need development."

"How diplomatic of you Agent Chang," Quatre grinned.

"Be sure to wear your disguise though, we don't want to take the chance that he might recognize you."

Quatre nodded. "So what other connections did you find to Duo Maxwell? The more information I have on him, the better I can read him."

"The search parameters for 'Duo Maxwell' didn't come up with anything else so I started sorting through the evidence Heero and Trowa brought back from L2. The name 'Solo' immediately had numerous hits."

"Solo?" Quatre tapped his chin in thought. "Trowa said the mausoleum was named 'Solo's Kids.'"

"There seems to be some sort of loose association between this Solo character and the Maxwell Church. The fragmented S.A. files indicated that he was some sort of self-made medicine man…" Wufei typed in a few more commands and his computer beeped. "He's listed as a rebel threat but nothing clear, just mentions of his name here and there in the files. He's more of a ghost."

A loud beep interrupted their discussion as a red alert flashed across the middle screen.

"What is it?" Quatre asked in alarm.

"Natuka found a hit for 'Solo' in the L2 lab's databases…" Wufei muttered as he continued to type.

"He's in the lab's files?" Quatre remarked in surprise. "But I thought he was an UNDIS rebel…"

Wufei let forth a string of Chinese curses. "Still encrypted. Nataku's only found half the key for the encryption. She only recognized the term 'Solo' because I had run a search for it."

"Is Nataku still working on the decryptions?"

Wufei nodded in frustration. "The encryption of the classified lab's databanks is proving to be extremely stubborn. The S.A. may have been a group of dishonourable dogs, but I have to admit that they were brilliant at encrypting their data."

"I know you don't need or want any sympathy, but I'm having trouble tracing the money trail on the attempted assassination of our UNDIS as well."

"What bank was the transfer routed through?"

"Sedici."

Wufei snorted. "Of course, a bank with ties to the S.A. Damned if we can prove it though."

"True, but if I can link the Sedici Bank to our assassination attempt, it just might be our way in the backdoor. Once we're in, I can take them down easily," Quatre smiled widely.

Wufei grinned at that. "I'm sure you can Winner, you've eaten larger corporations for breakfast."

A message alert blinked at the bottom of all the screens, bringing Quatre and Wufei's light-hearted banter to a close.

"That would be Yuy," Wufei stated as he clicked on the message. "It seems as though Duo Maxwell is about to awaken."

Quatre nodded as he went to retrieve his disguise from the lockers. "Are you coming?"

"As much as it will displease Yuy, I may have to intervene again," Wufei answered as he slipped a ring-like object onto his right index finger.

"What's that?" Quatre asked as he jammed the wig onto his head.

Wufei held his hand up so Quatre could inspect the ring with a square of tiny needles. "My method of quickly and efficiently subduing a 'no-kill' target: the needles are coated with potent tranquilizing agents. Strike a vulnerable point with this," Wufei waved his finger, "and the effects are almost instantaneous."

"So that's how you always managed to disable targets so easily. And here I thought you knew some kind of top secret nerve pinch," Quatre perched the thick-framed glasses on his nose and shrugged into his Preventers jacket.

"I do," Wufei arched an elegant eyebrow. "If the strike is not precise, the target would not be disabled for a few minutes at least; long enough to cause trouble."

"If you say so Wufei," Quatre replied in good humour. Briskly rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he headed towards the dorms. "Time to make a new ally!" he called cheerfully to Wufei.

Wufei trailed silently behind his sunny comrade with a more serious expression on his face. "I hope so Winner," he muttered under his breath. "If you cannot connect with the subject, we'll have to treat him as a hostile individual, perhaps even an enemy."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean you're stepping down?" Mrs. Darlian asked her husband, her soft blue eyes swimming with confusion.<p>

"I've been giving it a lot thought my dear," Vice-Minister Darlian replied wearily, "I think it is time to take my leave of the political world."

"But what of Relena?" Mrs. Darlian demanded, "She's still a child and she needs you to guide her through her first years in the political arena."

Vice-Minister Darlian chuckled softly, "She surpassed me many years ago. And with her Peacecraft instinct to promote peace, she is the best candidate to lead the colonies. It's time for the new generation to take control. Duke Dermail kindly pointed out to me that should I remain in politics, I would be dividing public support between our family and the Peacecrafts. If we solidify public support for Relena, she will be in a much better position to bring about peace and stability."

"But, she's still so young..."

"Hush darling, I am not abandoning our daughter, I will always be here to support and advise her. Dermail also assures me that he will throw his full support behind Relena, he has already begun to do so by having Dorothy assist Relena in all her public duties. Have faith in our daughter, I believe she can bring the colonies to new heights."

Biting her lip, Mrs. Darlian bowed her head in acquiescence. "If you truly believe that dear, I will support your decision whole-heartedly. We should go tell Relena."

The vice-minister gently kissed his wife on the forehead and smiled down at her. "No fears, with our daughter at the helm, the future is bright."

* * *

><p>Duo stirred sleepily, slowly floating towards awareness. He didn't want to hurry back to wakefulness; he was someplace soft and warm. Scrunching his nose slightly he wondered when was the last time he felt so relaxed and safe as something tickled at the back of his mind. That tickling became more insistent as Duo tried to burrow further into the warmth.<p>

"Duo?" A gentle voice called. "Duo, can you hear me?"

Someone was calling him again. Clawing his way towards wakefulness, he responded blearily. "Lil' mother? Is that you?" Cracking his eyes open, he squinted at the bright light.

"Duo?" A cheerfully smiling face filled his vision. Blinking furiously, Duo tried to focus on the face, noting the shaggy brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses.

"What? Who?" Jolting awake, Duo struggled feebly to sit upright.

"Oh! Here, let me help you," the smiling figure reached forward to help him, tucking several pillows behind Duo's back.

"Get away from me, don't touch me!" Duo snarled as he tried to slap the offending hands away but found his right wrist firmly encased in a cast and strapped to his side while his left was hand-cuffed to the bed. Viciously yanking at the hand-cuffs, Duo unsuccessfully tried free himself from the restraints.

"Stop! You're hurting yourself!" The figure approached again, gently laying a hand on his left forearm.

"I said stay back! Keep your hands off me!" Duo shouted hoarsely, "Stay the hell away from me!"

"Alright, I'm sorry," the slight young man slowly backed away from the bed, his hands raised in surrender, "just please stop hurting yourself!"

Seeing that his efforts to free himself were futile, Duo struggled to lever himself into a sitting position where he wouldn't feel as vulnerable. Inch by painful inch, his carefully levered himself up to sit against the stack of pillows at his back. 'Why the hell are my ribs so sore?' he wondered to himself.

The young man next to his bed approached tentatively. "I'm going to unlock the handcuffs ok?" he informed in a gentle voice. "No sudden moves or trying to escape ok? You're badly injured and need to rest."

Turning to face the young man hovering at the side of his bed, Duo noticed the two other men standing quietly against the back wall of the small room and felt his stomach drop. Even if he managed to get the drop on the man in front of him, there was no way he could get past those two; especially since he recognized one as the guy who knocked him out last time and the other as _Heero Yuy_. 'At least Pierrot isn't here,' he thought to himself, although he still couldn't fully remember if meeting Pierrot had actually happened or was another one of his many nightmares.

Bowing his head in assent, Duo held still as the young man reached forward and quickly unlocked the cuffs. Although he couldn't see the other two men, he knew they were watching him like hawks, ready to spring in a restrain him if he made a wrong move.

Tossing the hand-cuffs to the raven-haired man leaning against the far wall, the young shaggy-haired man pulled a chair forward and took a seat next to the bed. Smiling brightly, he extended a slim, pale hand.

"My name is Quatre Magnac, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Duo ignored Quatre's outstretched hand and stared mutely at the man, studying his face intently. Quatre's face was small and slightly rounded with shaggy dull hair brushing his shoulders. His skin tone was very pale, and from what he could see behind the distorting glasses, his eyes were a beautiful light blue.

Quatre withdrew his hand awkwardly. His smile never diminishing, he gestured to the two men behind him. "Behind me are Heero Yuy," he indicated the blue-eyed man, "and Wufei Chang," he gestured to the black-haired man. "We're all Preventers agents."

Duo glanced at their uniforms, noting the matching navy slacks, sturdy all-terrain boots and, navy and olive jackets with the Preventers log. The only difference lay in the shirts they wore under their jackets. Wufei Chang wore a crisp black T-shirt, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets as he lounged easily against the wall. Heero Yuy stood more stiffly with his arms crossed, a rumpled white shirt under his uniform jacket. Quatre stood out the most with his starched button down shirt, the quality of the fabric far better than both the uniforms and the shirts of the other two agents. Scrutinizing the discord between Quatre's clothes and his scraggly hair, Duo stored away his observation for later use.

Undeterred by Duo's lack of response, Quatre soldiered on. "And if I'm correct, you are Duo Maxwell," Quatre turned up the wattage of his friendly smile.

Duo flinched. 'How the hell do they know who I am?' The shock soon blended into anger as his mind screamed 'How dare he call me Duo!"

"My name is Shinigami," he growled past his scratchy throat. "You have no right to call me Duo Maxwell!"

"Oh," Quatre faltered. Noticing Duo's dry throat, he reached down to open the small refrigeration unit next to the bed and pulled out a hydration pack. Popping the top open, he held it out. "Here, you must be thirsty. It's orange flavoured!"

Duo glared at the offered can sceptically, his distrust of the strangers outweighing his thirst.

Noting Duo's hesitation, Heero stepped forward and took the can from Quatre's grasp. Duo watched in disbelief as Heero took a long swig from the can, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he drank. Tearing his eyes away from Heero's throat, Duo tensed as Heero fastened him with a steely stare and approached the bed. Smoothly grabbing a straw from a container on the mini-fridge, Heero dropped it into the can and seized Duo's left wrist. Pushing the chilled drink into his hand, Heero curled Duo's fingers around the can.

"Drink," he urged simply. "You are dehydrated." With that simple statement, Heero returned to stand next to Wufei against the back wall.

Duo watched Heero warily for a moment but seeing no deceit in his strong face, he threw caution to the wind and quenched his thirst. Taking the straw into his parched mouth, he greedily sucked down a few gulps before slowing his pace and savouring his drink. His mind raced furiously as he tried to discern the situation he was in. He was obviously a prisoner, yet he was in a furnished room rather than a cell. His memories of the few times he was awake during his captivity were fuzzy at best. He seemed to be in the Preventers' custody yet he wouldn't put it past the S.A. to resort to trickery and couldn't push the image of Pierrot from his mind.

'What the hell do I do?' he thought desperately. They obviously wanted something from him, but what?

'_Smile_,' a voice sounded in his mind, triggering a memory.

"_Now listen here squirt," a deep voice resonated as warm brown eyes crinkled in mirth. "I got a real important lesson for ya." _

_The small ruddy faced child blew a raspberry at the teenager kneeling in front of him. "Lessons are boring! Why ya gotta be a bore Solo?"_

_Solo smiled at the small scraggly-haired youth and clapped his broad hands on the child's bony shoulders. "How about a Golden Rule then?"_

_The little boy scrunched his face in thought. "A top secret Solo Rule?" he asked._

"_Yeah kid, 'Solo's Golden Rule to Life', it'll be our little secret," Solo winked before whispering dramatically: "The Golden Rule is to always smile."_

"_Smile? Why's that?" the scruffy child wondered out loud._

"_Yeah squirt. Whenever you feel unsure or afraid, even cornered, ya gotta smile. 'Cause if ya smile, it makes ya feel better and it makes everyone else wonder what yer thinkin'. Keep 'em on their toes. Can ya do that?"_

_The small child smiled sweetly, his round dimpled cheeks a sharp contrast to his skinny frame. "M'kay!" _

"_Never forget, alright squirt?" Solo ruffled the child's hair affectionately. "Ya always gotta smile. And not just any ole smile, ya gotta smile like ya mean it!" _

"Would you like another can of juice?" Quatre's soft voice interrupted his reminiscing.

Snapping back to the present, Duo realized that he had finished the contents of his can and was now chewing on his straw. Turning his head, he scrutinized the three agents. Choosing his target, he took care to establish eye contact with Quatre and held his gaze for several tense moments before cracking a wide grin.

"Naw, the juice was good thanks, but no thanks!" he answered in a sing song tone.

Taken aback at Duo's sudden change in attitude, Quatre faltered for a moment. "I'm glad you liked it," Quatre fumbled as he tried to recover from his surprise. "How are you feeling?"

Duo shrugged slightly, hiding his grimace of pain under his widening smile. "Alright I suppose, all things considered. A little sore, but I can't really complain. It's kinda nice havin' a warm bed to sleep in an' all…"

"I see… It must have been hard living on L2, especially with all the hardships created by the S.A.," Quatre began, trying to see what reactions he could generate.

"Shit happens," Duo grinned, his happy attitude holding strong.

"The Preventers have sent several investigation teams to L2 and we're appalled with what we've found there…"

"Is that so?" Duo cocked his head to the side.

Despite Duo's outwardly smiling appearance, Quatre could feel that he was building no rapport with the man grinning at him from the narrow bed. At a loss, he continued to search for topics that would bring about some sort of connection with Duo. Deciding to switch his tactics from sympathy to flattery, Quatre forged ahead.

"I have to say, we're all amazed at how you traveled to L1, it takes a great deal of daring to do what you did, hiding in plain sight along with the bodies from L2," he smiled genuinely at Duo, showing his admiration openly on his face.

"Not really," Duo responded, "if ya grow up surrounded by death, it doesn't bother ya anymore. I think ya got the wrong reaction there buddy, ya should be creeped out."

"Tactically speaking, it was brilliant and resourceful," Quatre declared, his expression sobering a little. "I'll be frank with you Duo. We know it was you who shut down the Liberators base and set the beam cannon to self-destruct."

Duo tensed slightly but continued to project his easy-going smile. "That so? So are ya chargin' me with some sorta crime? Make me a war criminal along with those S.A. bastards?"

"Of course not!" Quatre exclaimed in dismay, "We discovered what was taking place on L2, the attack on the secret lab was your work as well, wasn't it? We understand that you were trying to destroy the QR145 virus, even at the cost of your own life. That was truly heroic of you."

"QR145? That's a fancy soundin' name for a virus," Duo remarked with a curious smile, "An' me a hero? I don't think so, that honour's reserved for Mr. Heero Yuy over there isn't it? He saved L2 from wicked ole' me didn't he?"

"Not true, Heero's the one who discovered your true role on L2, he's given you the full credit. We're on the same side Duo. We want to help you, and we want to bring down the remainder of the S.A. just as badly as you do. Let's work together Duo," Quatre implored.

Duo's smile vanished as he studied Quatre seriously for a moment. "How do I know this isn't some kind of elaborate S.A. plot?"

"We both want the same things Duo, we're all sworn Preventers agents charged with keeping the peace. You can trust us Duo," Quatre intoned softly.

Duo studied each of the agents in turn before breaking out his widest grin yet. "That so? Ya know, trust takes honesty. I know I never tell a lie," Duo locked gazes with Quatre, his violet eyes a serious contrast to his wide grin, "but I can't say that same for you _blondie_."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Whoops, sorry for the delay. Lots of things on my plate these days… plus this chapter was horrible to write. Duo suddenly decided that he was done napping and wanted in on the action. And yes, Duo's speech pattern tends to change quite frequently. It has to do with his moods, hopefully the reason why becomes clearer in the upcoming chapters. <em>

_Up next, Howard and his crazy shirts make an appearance. Plus I think Heero will reveal his plan for keeping Duo safe! _

_Thank you for all the reviews! They seriously brighten my day! Also thanks for adding me to your story alerts, and of course, for reading!_


	13. Episode Twelve: Memento

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Twelve: Memento (January 6, 280 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>Duo stirred, sluggishly returning to wakefulness. He blinked bleary eyes, but as he moved to rub at them, he found his left hand once more handcuffed to the bed and his right arm still immobilized by a cast. Not only was he cuffed to the bed, he was also tightly cocooned in his blankets. Someone had tucked him in so securely that he barely had enough room to breathe. Just as he started to try and wiggle out of his prison, the door swung open and Heero Yuy entered his small room.<p>

"You're awake," he commented blandly.

"No shit! What the hell gives with these blankets? You've already got me chained up, I'm not going anywhere. Is this some kind of top-secret Preventers torture?" Duo glared at his captor.

"You kept rolling onto your injured arm while you slept. I was merely trying to prevent any further injury to your arm and ribs," Heero informed succinctly.

"Yeah? And put me in danger of suffocation? Let me out! I can't breathe."

To Duo's surprise, Heero moved forward at his command and efficiently freed him from his blankets and un-cuffed him from the bed. Once Duo was freed, he smoothly pulled him up to sit against the pillows before he could even begin to protest.

"How do you feel?" Heero inquired seriously.

"Just dandy," Duo grumbled. "Just fine!" he clarified in response to Heero's confused stare.

Heero nodded and opened the small fridge to study its contents. After a moment's contemplation, he pulled out two cans.

"Berry flavoured," he announced as he opened both cans and inserted a straw into one, handing it to Duo.

Duo glared pointedly at the offered can. Seeing Duo's frown, Heero dutifully removed the straw, took a sip of the drink and replaced the straw before offering it to Duo once more. This time Duo accepted, awkwardly curling the fingers of his left hand around the chilled can. Taking a careful sip from his straw, he cocked his head to the side.

"Is this what real berries taste like?"

Heero took a sip from his own drink before answering. "Not really. The drink is much sweeter."

"All artificial things are I suppose," Duo commented to no one.

* * *

><p>Noin walked into the basement office and blinked at the seemingly deserted space around her. Nataku hummed in the corner, her screens scrolling through columns of encrypted data, occasionally producing a line of legible code. All four desks were empty, as was the large conference table. Shifting her gaze to the 'break-room' area of the large office she spotted a mound of blankets on one of the couches, a tuft of ruffled golden hair peeking out at one end. Hearing muffled thumps coming from behind the door leading out of the lounge area, Noin strode past the slumbering pile of blankets and pushed open the door to the small underground gym. Inside, Wufei was viciously punching and kicking the stuffing out of a practice dummy.<p>

Sighing in exasperation, Noin cleared her throat loudly. "Why are you two sulking?" she barked in her most authoritative tone.

Wufei abruptly ceased his attack and whirled to face Noin. "I am not sulking," he declared haughtily, "I am merely keeping my combat skills honed and sharp."

"More like mindlessly destroying Preventers property," Noin snorted, unimpressed. "I thought you practiced meditation in the mornings."

"I usually do, except _someone_ decided to invite Cathy to work with Sally in the lab!" Wufei snarled at his commander.

Noin shrugged. "Sally needs someone trustworthy to help her in the lab."

"They're going to kill each other you know," Wufei warned.

"Unlikely," Noin scoffed, "they might both be the most stubborn women I've ever met but they respect each other. Besides, their past animosity seems to be gone, they were getting along just fine the last time I saw them."

Wufei yanked a towel off a nearby rack and glared heatedly at Noin. "That's because Sally's suppressing that animosity and directing it towards me instead!" Rubbing the sweat from his brow, Wufei pushed past Noin into the kitchenette and retrieved a drink from the fridge.

"Better watch out for Cathy then, she'll be throwing knives at you next," Quatre mumbled sleepily as he shifted under his pile of blankets.

Noin switched her interrogation to the blonde agent. "And what about you? I'm guessing that you spent the night here."

"Hmmm," Quatre hummed in agreement, not bothering to surface from his cocoon.

"And..?" Noin persisted, hands on hips.

"Trowa's not at home, no reason for me to be there either."

"Is there something wrong with the dorms?"

Quatre finally poked his head out from under the blankets, "Too much distraction. I still can't figure out Duo's perspective and Heero threatened to kill me if I tried to talk to Duo anymore."

Noin ran a hand through her hair, flipping back her long bangs. "I take it you weren't able to build any rapport with the UNDIS?"

Quatre shook his head sadly, "It was an unmitigated disaster. There's obviously much more to Duo Maxwell than meets the eye. What little we know of him is barely enough the scratch the surface."

"What happened?" Noin asked softly, seeing Quatre's anguish.

"He saw through my disguise and I completely lost my chance at building any sort of trust with him."

"He recognized you?" Noin gasped.

"No, he didn't realize my true identity, but he recognized that I was in disguise and now believes me to be untrustworthy."

"He is exceptionally observant," Wufei commented from the corner of the lounge area where he was beginning his cool-down stretches.

"He's also very good at hiding his emotions," Quatre added, "once he started smiling it was nearly impossible to guess what he was thinking."

Wufei nodded in agreement. "He was angry and hostile when he first woke up, but after a few minutes his demeanour changed completely and he was disturbingly cheerful."

"He was smiling and cheerful?" Noin asked in disbelief.

"Yes, it was as if nothing bothered him, nothing affected him at all. His face became a jester's mask, hiding his true emotion," Quatre commented wistfully.

"A psychopath?" Noin wondered.

"No, I don't think so. He seems to shoulder a heavy burden of sadness and guilt and he showed no indication of lying."

"He could be a pathological liar," Noin countered.

"No," Quatre replied with conviction. "He always told the truth, just not the whole truth. A pathological liar would have given me pure fiction."

"So you were able to discern something from your conversation?"

Quatre nodded. "Bits and pieces. Even though he was smiling the whole time, a few micro expressions managed to slip through his mask. I think we were wrong about why he tried to blow up the colony; it wasn't because of the airborne QR145 virus. There was something else in that lab that deeply disturbed him. I also think he knows something about the virus that we don't… there was something strange in his reaction to the mention of the virus."

Noin bit her lip in worry. "How far along are we on the decryption of the lab's files?"

"Fifty-eight percent," Wufei replied in frustration. "Each file has been encrypted three times and even the encryptions are encrypted! It's a never-ending process."

"Damn," Noin muttered. "Anything else?"

"He feels a strong connection to death, even considers it a large part of his life. He does not fear it but rather seems to embrace it, almost like a friend."

"He's obsessed with death? Suicidal?" Wufei asked, seriously disturbed by Quatre's revelation.

"No, no. I'm not explaining it right. It's more of a positive thing, as if he accepts death, even respects it. Ugh, I can't explain it, it's just a feeling I get from him."

"Never mind," Noin shook her head, unable to follow Quatre's train of thought. "Anything else?"

"He's lonely."

"What?" Wufei and Noin exclaimed in unison.

"He feels very alone and lonely. He finds it difficult to trust but he is very social by nature, craves company even. Even though he was mistrustful of me, he continued our conversation, even volunteered certain pieces of information," Quatre remarked sadly.

"Now that you mention it," Wufei observed, "I saw it too. In fact, he's mentioned a 'lil' mother' several times when he hasn't been fully awake. He was referring to the nun perhaps?"

"Nun?" Noin asked, completely confused.

"A person from Duo's past. We found her while we were researching his background. I'll send you a consolidated report of our findings later," Wufei replied.

"Good, send it to my tablet, I'll be away from my office all day."

Quatre tapped his chin in thought. "He did mention her several times didn't he? I don't think it's the nun though…" Quatre trailed off in thought.

"He couldn't be referring to other survivors could he?" Noin commented.

"No, impossible. L2 is completely uninhabited and there is no way that he was able to smuggle anyone but himself to L1."

"Allah!" Quatre suddenly shouted, "I've been so blind!" Pulling out his com unit, he hurriedly punched in a code before beginning to bark orders. "Rashid, meet me at the back entrance with a four-man team in five minutes. Good, thank you."

"Winner, what is it? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Wufei demanded.

Quatre smiled sweetly at Noin and Wufei. "Oh nothing," he chirped airily as he headed towards the exit, "I'm going hunting!"

"Hunting!"

"Wait Quatre, what about your disguise?"

"No need!" Quatre called back cheerily, "No one will see me, I'll be in the tunnels!"

Noin and Wufei exchanged a wary look.

"Who's going to tell Barton?"

* * *

><p>Dorothy set the tea tray on the coffee table and sat across from Relena. Relena sat primly, her legs crossed at the ankle and her hands lying demurely in her lap as she gazed out the window.<p>

"I hear you are going to be named the new Vice-Minister, perhaps even Supreme Minister," Dorothy commented as poured the tea.

"Yes," Relena replied, picking up her teacup. "Father has stepped down and his followers have offered me their full support."

"You will be brilliant in your new role," Dorothy praised.

Relena smiled as she daintily placed her teacup back on its saucer. "I hope so Dorothy. I was very worried at first but Father assures me that I will be just fine."

"Well, now that your promotion in government is imminent, we should take care of some official business," Dorothy smiled cunningly. "Your new position will require you to have a security detail.

Relena drew in a sharp breath. "Do you think that's necessary? Father never had a security detail, neither did the Peacecrafts. What kind of message would that send?"

Dorothy sighed dramatically and feigned sadness. "Those times are over Ms. Relena. And don't forget, the Preventers were responsible for protecting you and your parents during the rebellion."

Relena visibly deflated at Dorothy's words.

"Cheer up Ms. Relena, I believe we have the prime candidate to become your new head of security."

"Heero?" Relena's demeanour changed immediately before faltering again. "But… he's a Preventer agent and more importantly, I want him to be my companion… wouldn't having a working relationship get in the way of a more… intimate one?" Relena flushed brightly.

Dorothy grinned. "Of course not Ms. Relena! Having Heero on your staff will give you ample opportunity to get to know each other much, much, _much_ better. I've already made an appointment with Ms. Noin for you. I'm sure she'll understand your need for security and companionship."

Relena's flush deepened.

'That was too easy,' Dorothy thought to herself. 'Like taking candy from a baby."

* * *

><p>Wufei scurried into the basement office grumbling under his breath. "It's like walking into a den of warring lionesses!"<p>

"Should I call Barton?"

Wufei jumped. "Yuy! What are you doing here?"

"Research," Heero said simply as he turned back to his computer. "When will Sally be down to check on Duo?"

"You can ask her yourself," Wufei retorted, "I'm not going back up there! Is something wrong with Duo?"

"No, Duo is sleeping soundly," he added and pointed to the small monitor on his desk.

"I take it the herbs have been helping him sleep?" Wufei inquired.

"Yes, thank you. But must the drinks be so sweet?"

Wufei shrugged. "I had to mask the taste; it was the most logical solution. Besides, no one is forcing you to drink them."

"They do not affect me as much. I find them calming. They help me deal with his incessant chattering."

Wufei raised a brow. "He's talking again? Did you learn anything?"

"No, only inane chatter. He accused me of trying to torture him with blankets."

"Blanket torture?" Noin interjected from the doorway. "I don't remember authorizing that," she chuckled dryly. "So, why the meeting?"

"Meeting?" Wufei parroted back. "What meeting?"

"I got a message, it said meeting in five. You didn't send it?"

"No…" Wufei looked puzzled. "Yuy?"

"No."

"Hello chickies! Anyone home?" A cheerful voice boomed down the hall.

Recognizing the voice, Heero stood from his desk in bewilderment. "Howard?"

A sprightly old man appeared in the doorway, his remaining tuffs of grey hair sticking out at sharp angles from his balding head.

"Howard!" Wufei exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk shop, what else?" Howard grinned over his sunglasses.

Noin frowned. "You didn't come waltzing in… in that did you?" She gestured at his vibrant red Hawaiian shirt, baggy shorts and sandals. "We have a uniform for a reason-"

"Easy, easy Commander!" Howard soothed. "I came in the back way, no one saw me. Besides, I'm a _Consultant_ not a Preventer. None of those stuffy, _un-fashionable_ uniforms for me thank you!"

"The uniforms were designed to project calm and authority, statistics-" Heero began.

"Yeah, yeah, save it Wonder Boy. I'm sure you'd rather spend more time talking about your newest acquisition."

"Duo is not an acquisition."

Howard grinned. "Nope, he's Wonder Boy version two. With cooler gadgets too! Is he up and talking yet?"

"Classified," Noin replied curtly. "You've finished your analysis?"

"Yep, top of the line technology. Some of the stuff is more advanced than what we have. It was brilliant mind that designed those gadgets, a brilliant, brilliant mind."

"And the cloaking device? Will you be able to replicate the technology?" Noin asked, the eagerness evident in her voice.

"Sorry," Howard looked suitably chastened, "the device was damaged beyond repair and the plans for it incomplete. The inventor kept those details safe in his head."

"Wait a minute," Wufei interrupted. "You speak as though you know the inventor."

"I did," Howard replied sombrely, his earlier mirth gone.

"What!"

"Ha! I'm highly flattered that you chickies thought that I managed to locate the cloaking device's electromagnetic field so quickly but didn't you find it suspicious that I knew the basic premise of how it operated?"

"Well…" Wufei began.

"I knew what to look for because after glancing at the haul you boys brought back from L2, I immediately knew the devious mind behind most of their technology."

"And you kept this from us?" Noin barked.

"Well," Howard drawled. "I tried to tell you at first but you chickies seemed pretty busy. And then I got caught up in tinkering with these new gadgets you found on his person and well… I'm just a forgetful old man."

Noin and Wufei rolled their eyes while Heero turned his glare on the old man. "So who was he?" he demanded harshly.

"Hey! Easy there Wonder Boy! What, you not getting along with your new friend?"

Heero scowled.

"No worries Wonder Boy, I'd be disappointed if he cracked that quickly, G always chose his protégés well."

"G?"

"Yep," Howard replied somewhat sadly. "A real mad genius. I first met him when we worked together on upgrading the agricultural satellites. We were working to find a way to shield the plants against the radiation emitted by the satellites' structure. That's how I was able to figure out that the cloaking device was using electromagnetic waves."

"Are you sure you can't replicate the cloaking technology?" Noin asked again.

"Sorry, G was light-years ahead of anyone in the field of electromagnetic manipulation. He was pretty handy with designing agricultural structures as well."

"What happened to him? Did he join the rebel cause? And what's his full name?" Wufei inquired, fingers already hovering over his keyboard.

"Don't waste your time, you won't find him. And I don't know his full name, formalities weren't real important to us. Hell, I don't know the real names of half my sweeper crew!" Howard grinned before sobering. "As for what happened to him, he went underground before the S.A. could come collect him."

"He was an UNDIS," Noin guessed with surprise.

"Yep," Howard nodded in agreement. "But I never thought of him like that. He was a great mind and a good friend. It's a shame we lost so many great minds like his to the narrow-mindedness of people."

"You mean the S.A.," Noin countered.

"No ma'am," Howard gazed sternly over his sunglasses at the Preventers commander. "I meant exactly what I said. You young chickies never knew an age where so-called UNDIS were considered equals. Too bad we'll never have the chance to change that."

All three agents fell silent, having no answer to Howard's stinging yet truthful words. As Wufei and Noin shifted uneasily under Howard's accusing gaze, Heero sat stiffly at his desk. The silence was finally interrupted as the sound of muffled cursing and rustling of blankets erupted from the small white monitor on Heero's desk.

Howard perked up. "Is that him?"

"Yes," Heero stood from his desk and made to leave the office.

"Can I meet him?" Howard asked eagerly.

"What?"

"I brought him a present! I'm sure he'd like to have this back." Howard pulled a small black device from his pocket and waved it around enthusiastically.

"What's that?" Noin asked, her brow furrowed. "We don't want to give him anything he could use against us."

"Pfft. It's not dangerous. It's just a clock and a random word generator. Simply put, it's just a toy that he had on his person."

"Why would he carry a toy around?" Wufei wondered in disbelief.

"For sentimental reasons I would think," Howard replied. "He was all by himself. It wouldn't be strange for him to carry around a memento. Besides, how else was he going to tell time?"

"I still don't like the idea of giving him anything," Noin protested. "And I don't like the idea of you meeting him either."

"Have you managed to gain his trust yet?" Howard asked bluntly. All three shook their heads. "Then what harm is there in me trying my hand at it? Don't forget, I have some common ground with him."

"Fine," Noin sighed. "Our backs are against the wall and we're running out of options."

"Great!" Howard grinned. "Let's go Wonder Boy!"

After receiving a nod from Noin, Heero led Howard towards the dorms.

Noin sighed again. "I hope that doesn't end in another disaster." Shaking her head she checked her watch. "Damn, I was supposed to be at the training facility ten minutes ago. Chang, could you run up to the lab and ask Sally and Cathy-"

"How could I be so stupid?" Wufei exclaimed, cutting Noin off. "I forgot to water my sword, I mean polish my herbs. Neglecting basic everyday responsibilities is the root of weakness!" he called back over his shoulder as he rushed out of the room.

"Coward," Noin muttered under her breath.

* * *

><p>Duo stilled in his efforts to get free as the door to his room swung open and Heero Yuy stepped inside, a brightly clothed old man following closely in his wake.<p>

"Duo," Heero acknowledge him. "How are you feeling?"

Duo remained silent, intently scrutinizing the strange old man. His clothes showed no indication of his profession, and his body language was open and friendly. 'Some kind of interrogator's ruse?' he thought to himself. Pulling up his smile, he steeled himself to meet this new adversary.

"Hiya old man! Ya here to take part in the blanket torture?"

"Blanket torture does not exist," Heero muttered under his breath as he efficiently un-tucked and un-shackled his charge. Smoothing pulling Duo into a sitting position, he made sure the pillows were comfortably arranged behind Duo's back before retreating to lean against the far wall.

"A comedian!" the old man laughed with delight. "I like this kid! He's got real spunk."

"Thanks, yer a sprightly old goat yerself," Duo grinned, baiting the man to see if he would rise to anger.

The fashion-challenged man merely chuckled before pulling a small box out of his pocket. "Here," he said, extending the worn black device towards Duo, "I thought you might want it back."

Duo's smile faltered as he accepted his cherished possession. Reverently stroking the worn plastic casing, he fell silent for a few moments before noticing that the plastic casing showed signs of being pried open.

"Whadya do to it ya old goat? Plant a listening device? Or some sort of strange mind control program? Huh?" he demanded with a manic grin.

"Save yourself the trouble kid. You could spend years wondering what I did to it. I replaced the energy cell; the old one was getting low. Besides that, just took a little poke around, curiosity just gets the best of me you know. Made sure there was nothing harmful about it so I could give it back to you."

"So whaddya want old man? I know nothin' comes without strings attached."

Howard stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Well, there was one thing I was hoping you could help me with. Mind if I take a seat?" he asked, gesturing to Heero's regular chair.

"Not like I could stop ya," Duo grumbled while stealing a quick glance at Heero.

"Thanks kid," the old coot grinned as he pulled out a tablet from the cargo pocket of his baggy shorts.

"See, I had this friend, a fellow scientist called G. He was a real mad maverick, but a good friend all the same. I used to work with him until he disappeared thirty or so years ago. He had to go underground and we lost touch. I always wondered about him though, maybe you could tell me what happened to him?" he inquired gently.

"I don't know no mad scientists," Duo pointedly glanced at Howard's strange attire, "unless maybe I count yerself."

"Oh, I don't expect him to still be alive," Howard chuckled sadly. "He suffered from a heart condition, never expected to become an old man like me. He was never bitter about it though, not even when the S.A. started closing in on him. See, I offered to try and hide him with the Sweepers you see," he paused for a moment, lost in memory.

Duo flinched slightly at the mention of the Sweepers. Scrambling to mask his reaction, he widened his smile. "Hey ye old goat! I don't got all day. I got Preventers agents to annoy ya know?"

"Sorry kid. Anyways, as I was saying, I offered to hide him from the S.A. but he refused. Said he was going underground to join the resistance. He told me not to worry or get angry, that it was a useless enterprise. He told me it would all work out in the end. I'll never forget his last words to me: 'Death is the great equalizer. Until then, we try to level the playing field on our own.' Yep, he was crazy as a bat but also wiser than I could ever hope to be."

Duo paled and stilled. Noticing his change in demeanour, Heero stiffened and prepared to intercede should Duo suddenly turn violent.

Unmindful of the sudden increase of tension the room, the old man tapped his tablet to life. "I only got one picture of the crazy coot, ugly as sin wasn't he?" he chuckled as he revealed the image of a younger version of himself standing next to a short, squat man.

Duo stared entranced at the picture, his left hand coming forward as if to touch the screen before yanking it back as if burned.

"I used to tease him all the time, I called him the 'Mad Mushroom Head', and he called me the-"

"…Dingbat Hawaiian Buffoon," Duo finished softly.

"Yep," Howard grinned. "See I knew you must have known him. He had a real eye for discovering young resourceful minds. I bet he was real proud of you."

"He died about five years ago," Duo informed brokenly. "Heart failure. We used to steal medicine for him, but after the main hospitals shut down, we couldn't get our hands on anymore medicine. The prison hospitals didn't have any medication just…" Duo trailed off, his eyes haunted.

"It's okay kid. You did what you could."

The room remained silent for several long minutes before Duo suddenly snapped his head up. "What's your name?" he asked quietly.

"Howard," the old man replied simply.

Duo nodded, something akin to hope entering his eyes. "Can I call you 'Howie'?"

"Sure thing kid, you can call me anything you want, even 'old goat'."

"Thanks," Duo smiled before hesitantly extending his uninjured left hand. "I'm Duo."

* * *

><p><em>AN: And it's Howard to the rescue! I wish he'd stopped me from starting another fic though… ugh. Anyways, "Appleseeds" still takes first priority; I'm slowly but surely making my way towards the main objective of the story. The idea of Quatre being able to read micro-expressions came from the TV show "Lie to Me". Quatre having a space heart just didn't work for this storyline. <em>

_Anyways, feedback has been great! Thank you all so much for the reviews! They really help with the writing process. Also thank you for adding this story to your various alerts and lists. And most importantly, thank you for continuing to read!_


	14. Episode Thirteen: Companions

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Thirteen: Companions (January 7, 280 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>Lying tightly cocooned once more in his bed Duo remained still, silently contemplating the events of the past week.<p>

'Has it been that long already?' he thought to himself. If his 'lucky black box' was right, it had been just over a week since his capture. The first days were a hazy daze of semi-consciousness and nightmares, the lines so blurred that he couldn't distinguish which was which. After that was a jumbling array of faces and confrontations until Howard had arrived. But at the forefront of it all was a pair of steely blue eyes and a constant presence at his side. He didn't know what to make of Heero Yuy, Howard had assured him that out of anyone, he could trust Heero. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact that Howard was clearly allied with his captors.

Shifting slightly, he noticed that once again his left hand was cuffed to the bed. Frowning, he noticed that his wrist had been carefully wrapped with gauze to protect it from the cold and unforgiving metal of the cuff. 'If only I could use my right arm,' he thought futilely before wondering who had bandaged his wrist. 'Probably Heero,' he mused.

Just as he returned to organizing his thoughts from the last week, the door opened and Heero Yuy stepped into the room, calm and stoic as always. 'Speak of the devil and he appears,' Duo laughed to himself.

With his now customary curt greeting of "You're awake," Heero efficiently un-tucked, un-cuffed and rearranged him to sit comfortably against the pillows, at least as comfortably as his ribs would allow. Duo for his part remained silent and pliable, knowing full well the futility of resisting.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hunky-dory."

"Can't you talk normally?"

"Where's the fun in that?" At Heero's glare, Duo clarified. "I feel fine minus the ribs and the being locked up part."

Heero nodded in satisfaction. "Sally was down to see you last night. She says that your pneumonia has completely cleared up. Your ribs and arm will still take some weeks to completely heal, the process can be accelerated somewhat if you begin your bone strengthening treatment."

"Great," Duo mumbled sarcastically. "Like I have a choice! What do you want from my anyways?"

Heero's jaw clenched as he stood stiffly next to the bed for several tense moments.

"I… I'm sorry."

"What?" Duo stared in shock at Heero who remained standing next to his bed, his back rigid and his gaze fastened on the floor.

"Your broken ribs, they were my fault. I'm sorry."

"Oh." Duo was taken aback before grinning. "Well, I seem to remember getting you pretty good with my knife."

Heero raised his now lightly bandaged right hand and stared at it mutely. Duo too gazed at Heero's bandaged hand with puzzlement.

"I coulda sworn I near cleaved your hand in half… must have been more out of it than I thought."

Heero nodded. "You did, you hit the bone. Fortunately it has mostly healed. It should be at 100% efficiency in the next day or so."

"Oh," Duo faltered. "One of the many benefits of being an advantaged I suppose," he said in a dejected tone.

"I've always been a faster healer than most."

"Is that so," Duo muttered. "Well I'm not sorry."

"You shouldn't be, you were merely protecting yourself."

"What are you?" Duo grumbled, "Some kind of damn saint?"

* * *

><p>Noin felt a shiver of dread race down her spine and broke out into a cold sweat as she watched the two women conversing in front of her.<p>

"An excellent analysis Dr. Po!" Dr. Catherine Bloom smiled sweetly, her cool turquoise eyes a stark contrast to her flashing teeth.

"You are far too kind Dr. Bloom," Sally replied in kind, gripping a petri dish with white knuckles.

"But since we cannot safely inactivate the virus, I suggest creating a strain with lower virulence," Dr. Bloom smiled, viciously jabbing a pipette into a test tube.

"A first-rate idea Dr. Bloom, but perhaps the process will be too unpredictable and time-consuming. The structure of the virus is what makes it so virulent and lethal, not to mention we don't have the resources to culture the new strain for wide-spread distribution."

Dr. Bloom shook her head, her red curls bouncing angrily while her smile never wavered. "With all due respect Dr. Po, you are not a geneticist. If we specifically target the genes responsible for its virulence, I'm confident that we can quickly and efficiently create a viable vaccine not to mention a highly potent vaccine that would require fewer future boosters."

"That may be true," Sally conceded reluctantly, "but I still feel that we shouldn't rule out breaking down the virus into particles and allowing them to reform to resemble the QR145 virus but without the nucleic acid, therefore negating their contagiousness." Sally continued to smile although her left eye beginning to twitch ever so slightly.

"A valid method," Cathy nodded slightly, "but again, we have to consider the unpredictability and time-constraints of this method."

Both women fell silent at an impasse, their sweet smiles still plastered on their faces but their postures stiff and rigid. Noin felt another trickle of cold sweat slither down her back as he fearfully cleared her throat and attempted to gain the warring scientists' attention.

"Uh ladies," Noin's voice cracked slightly. "Could we just agree that both methods are well-substantiated and be in agreement that time is of the essence?"

Both doctors' heads snapped towards her as if they had noticed her presence for the first time. Hackles raised and all notions of feigning sweetness gone, they advanced on Noin with murder in their eyes.

"Don't you think we don't know that?" Sally snapped.

"Are you making light of our work? Vaccines don't just magically appear overnight in a petri dish!" Cathy spat. "And where are you in your investigation? All you've managed to ascertain is that the virus was created, not by who or how, not to mention you haven't managed to decrypt a single piece of usable data from the S.A. files! Shouldn't you be working on that rather than wasting our valuable time? This process would be a lot quicker if you could find a sample of the original vaccine created by the S.A. Or if that's too _difficult_ for you, maybe you could be useful and find the files that contain information on creating the vaccine!"

"Exactly," Sally agreed. "The S.A. created the vaccine with the aid of all the research that went into creating the virus itself! All we have to work with is a small sample retrieved from L2 and a few fragmented files about its virulence and distribution methods!"

Noin hastily backpedalled towards the door. "Uh… I think I'm late for an appointment so I'll be going now. It seems you've got everything under control here. I'm sure Wufei is working tirelessly to find those files for you. If you need anything don't hesitate to contact me or the boys."

The two scientists merely glared, their posture and facial expressions clearly indicating that they didn't think she or the Preventers top agents would be of any help.

"Uh… well… play nice you two!" Noin called over her shoulder as she more or less bolted from the lab and headed towards her office on the top floor.

'No wonder Wufei is avoiding the lab like a plague,' Noin thought to herself. 'At least my day can't get any more terrifying than this.'

As she made her way towards her office, her secretary came scurrying towards her, alarm written all over her features.

"Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft and Ms. Catalonia are waiting for you in the waiting room."

Noin felt her stomach drop. Her day could indeed get worse. Steeling herself to come face-to-face with the conniving girl with the forked eyebrows and the girl who so reminded her of her recent heartbreak, Noin marched into the small waiting area with her head held high.

"Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft, Ms. Catalonia, I am so sorry to have kept you waiting."

* * *

><p>Attention completely focused on the scrolling encryptions on the screens in front of him, Wufei started when a box filled with a wriggling mass of fur and tails was pushed into his line of vision. Looking up, he was greeted with Quatre's sunny smile of triumph. Although he had spent the night combing through the tunnels, Quatre looked refreshed and energetic, if a little rumpled.<p>

"Are we about to conduct some sort of experiment?" Wufei queried as he studied the rats in clear plastic cage.

"Oh no, I don't think Duo would be too happy if we used his friends as lab rats."

Wufei rubbed his temples and took a moment to center his thoughts. "Forgive me for being a little blunt but did you hit your head while you were down there?"

Quatre continued to smile cheerily. "Don't you see?"

"I've been staring at code all day trying to figure out this damn encryption so no, I only see what seem to be a mother rat and her pups. Where did they come from?"

"From the tunnels of course! Meet 'lil' mother' and her pups!"

"This is 'lil' mother'?" Wufei exclaimed in disbelief. "But why were there rats in the tunnels to begin with? L1 hasn't had unauthorized animal activity in decades… did he bring them with him as a food source?"

"I hope not!" Quatre replied, completely appalled. "I think he befriended them because he was so lonely. I found evidence that he was feeding them."

"So if he befriended them in the tunnels, how did they get here?" Wufei wondered.

Quatre lost his sunny smile and looked troubled. "Although it was well concealed, the Magnacs and I found evidence that the S.A. had built a separate ventilation and distribution pipe system in the tunnels. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't found the rats in a piece of broken pipe." As he informed Wufei of his discovery, Quatre pulled out an evidence bag that contained a broken length of pipe.

Wufei examined the piece of pipe intently before agreeing with Quatre. "You're right; it's stamped with the manufacturing seal of an S.A. factory. Hmm… so the rats were unwittingly transported with the new pipes? Were you able to identify the purpose of the newly laid pipes?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, the Magnacs are still in the tunnels trying to identify the new sections of pipe but they don't really make any sense. I have a feeling that Duo has some of the answers we seek though."

"He's only really reacted well to Howard, and even Howard couldn't get much information out of him," Wufei sighed.

Quatre nodded thoughtfully. "Yes I heard. But asking him would be the fastest way. Besides, I have a peace offering." Quatre held up the container of rats.

Wufei chuckled darkly. "You're determined to win him over aren't you?"

"Of course! Working together is far better than working against each other," he insisted.

"What about your disguise?" Wufei shouted after him as Quatre trotted down the hall, peace offering in hand.

"Don't need it! I'm going to come clean and offer my sincerest apologies."

"Is that wise?" Wufei called desperately after him. Seeing Quatre's form disappear around the corner he sighed wearily and muttered to himself, "Don't come crying to me when both Heero and Noin threaten to kill you."

* * *

><p>Duo shifted restlessly on his bed, bored out of his mind. His thoughts were horrible company and his ever present guard dog was currently deeply engrossed in his tablet. Duo considered demanding another trip to the bathroom just to alleviate his boredom for a few minutes. He also briefly considered trying to pick a fight with the ever-stoic Heero Yuy but quickly abandoned that idea. He just couldn't seem to muster enough ire when it came to the steely blue-eyed Preventers agent.<p>

A light knocking on the door interrupted his idle contemplations and he watched curiously as the door eased open and a smiling blonde head popped in. "Hello again!"

Heero's head snapped up and he stared in alarm at the visitor. "Don't be stupid Quatre," he warned ominously.

"Hey blondie!" Duo greeted, pulling up his mask and wondering what game the blonde agent was playing at now.

Quatre stepped into the room holding the small plastic container in front of him. "I brought some visitors."

Duo stared in shock at the wriggling mass of lil' mother and her pups sealed within the clear plastic carrier. "What the hell? Is this some sort of sick form of hostage taking?" he demanded, ready to spring at Quatre if not for Heero's iron grip on his shoulder.

"What's the meaning of this Quatre?" Heero growled.

Quatre faltered, his eyes shimmering with distress. "No, no! Not at all. Oh, I'm going about this all wrong," he moaned. "This is supposed to be a peace offering, for starting off on the wrong foot."

"What?"

"Well, you seemed so distressed about this mother rat and her pups, and a good thing too. They wouldn't have survived for much longer in the tunnels."

"What do you mean?" Duo asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

"He's right," Heero interjected. "There is no food source in the tunnels and if they had gone near an exit, the life sensors would have been triggered, resulting in immediate extermination."

"What?"

"It's L1 law," Quatre explained quietly. "No unauthorized animals, especially without owners. All unauthorized animals are liable to be terminated on the spot."

"Oh," Duo replied, slightly dejected. "More of this 'no right to life' crap," he laughed bitterly. "Even the animals are 'unauthorized' just like me. Are all 'authorized' animals genetically manipulated to be 'advantaged' too?"

"Some, not all." Heero informed quietly.

"So I guess there still are a few out there like me," Duo mused bitterly.

Quatre held out the carrier filled with the furry white rodents. "Well here, they belong with you. And… I also wanted to apologize."

Duo carefully accepted the vented, plastic box and lightly tapped against the sides with a smile side on his face before looking up at the fidgeting Quatre.

"It was wrong of me to ask for your trust when I wasn't being thoroughly honest with you. I'd like to start over." Quatre extended his hand with a wavering smile. "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So?" Duo looked perplexed but took pity on Quatre and awkwardly accepted the handshake with his left hand.

"He's the Winner heir and also the CEO of WEI." When Duo continued to stare blankly at Quatre, Heero clarified further. "Quatre's family single-handedly rules L4 and he's also one of the wealthiest men in the colonies."

Duo's perplexed look deepened. "Oh, those Winners? That's why you were wearing a disguise? And what are you doing here?"

"Yes, and I'm here because I believe upholding the peace takes precedence over running WEI and L4. My family and the Magnacs are doing an admirable job during my absence."

"Huh," Duo shook his head in amazement. "You're a strange person blondie."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you figure out I was in disguise?" Quatre wondered.

"Simple, brunettes don't have blonde eyebrows and eyelashes. And your shirt is of far better quality than your uniform," Duo replied as he eyed Quatre's appearance. "Although you look a little rumpled there, what were you doing, crawling through the tunnels?"

"As a matter of fact, I was. And while I was down there, I discovered some new pipe laid by the S.A. Do you have any information about that?" Quatre questioned gently.

Duo lightly stroked the plastic side of the animal carrier as he contemplated Quatre's question. "Have you found anything the L2 lab's files? You did download your databanks didn't you?"

Heero nodded curtly, "We did. Wufei is having trouble decrypting the files though. The encryptions are encrypted themselves."

Duo nodded absently until chuckling softly to himself. "You Preventers are totally useless aren't you? I suppose you would be since all you did in the rebellion was protect the fat cats. Of course the politicians were so much more important than those of us who were actually at the frontlines fighting, weren't they? And the irony of it all is that although you didn't lift a finger to save us, we ended up saving all your sorry lives!"

Heero flinched as though physically struck.

Quatre inhaled sharply before smiling sadly. "I understand your frustration Duo, I really do. But instead of working against us, why not work with us? Then maybe we can avoid making further tragic decisions and mistakes. Please Duo, I know you're a good person. Won't you help us?"

Duo continued to stare at the furry creatures, ignoring the two agents for several moments. "I'm not a saint," he laughed bitterly, "but I'm not a cold-blooded mass murderer either. I'll tell you what you need to know since there's nothing I can do about it locked up here."

He glared up at the two agents. "But mark my words, double cross me and Shinigami will be coming for you."

Both agents nodded sombrely. "Of course," Quatre intoned, "I swear to Allah."

"Who's that?"

"A God."

"Ha! Well, the only God I believe in is the God of Death-"

"I could swear to him if you like."

"No use swearing an oath to a God you don't believe in. Don't sweat it, I'll tell you what you need to know." Duo carefully shifted to balance the animal carrier on his lap. "Those Red Death distribution canisters, they were lethal, but they only had the power to contaminate a limited area."

"Red Death?" Quatre queried.

"Yeah, your Q-whatever virus. Well, we called it Red Death, kinda like the ancient Black Death. Red well… it was a bloody way to die. But that's not the point. The point is, the beam cannon was just a bluff, they were trying to stall for more time. Their true objective was to get the virus off L2 and to L1, where they would disperse it through the new ventilation system they had secretly installed. That's what those new pipes you found are, a dispersion system for the virus."

Quatre paled. "They were going to infect L1 with the virus?"

Duo shrugged slightly. "Just Sanq City and the government districts as far as I could tell; the ventilation systems were rigged to keep the virus contained within the epicentre of the colony."

"To get rid of their main opposition?" Quatre wondered. "But why would they risk such a move?"

"They needed new scapegoats," Duo stated quietly.

"What?"

"Well, the UNDIS are all gone, no more scapegoats right? And their main opposition lay in Sanq City. They release the virus, quarantine the city from the rest of the colony and make it appear as though it was an experiment gone wrong by the leaders in Sanq. Then of course, after people sweat it out in fear for a while, they were going to march in on their white horses and distribute the vaccine among the 'worthy'. And thus the cycle is complete, they are back in power and people rally to their cause once more."

"Oh Allah," Quatre breathed. "How could they?"

Duo laughed grimly. "The strategy worked the first time around. Create a common enemy and the people will unite like fools. Fear is a great motivator."

"The vaccine, was there any in the lab?" Quatre asked.

Duo shook his head, "Not that I saw. I think it was being manufactured someplace else. Maybe even L1. I wasn't too interested in the vaccine anyway."

"So the virus was the reason you tried to self-destruct the colony? Why not try other means?" Quatre asked quietly.

"In part I guess. The colony was beyond redemption. Not like there were many people left there anyways. Besides, I was running out of time."

"What were the other reasons," Quatre gently urged.

"I'm done talking. I told you about the S.A.'s tampering with the pipelines. The rest is personal," Duo stated bluntly and turned his head away from the two agents.

"Thank you Duo," Quatre said sincerely. "I'm going to go make a report to Noin now. I hope we can talk again Duo."

Duo didn't reply; his attention was fixed on the animal carrier cradled carefully in lap his as Quatre quietly left the room. He heard Heero open the small refrigeration unit and pop open another can. The can was then duly thrust into his line of vision, straw in place.

"Tropical Fruit Punch."

Duo absently accepted the can and took a few sips. "Super sweet as usual," he commented.

* * *

><p>"Let me see if I understood you correctly Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft," Noin iterated carefully with great formality. "You're requesting that Agent Yuy be assigned to your new security detail? Which will also be supplemented with Preventers agents?"<p>

"Yes," Relena agreed primly.

Noin signed. "I'm sorry Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft, but the current structure of Preventers does not allow us to assign 24/7 security details unless there is a clear threat. We can provide security for public functions and government meetings but no personal guards or escorts. We are the force of the people, we cannot justify providing private security for a select few. Our first duty is to the public."

"But my personal security is paramount to the people! As the future leader of L1, I am worthy of exception. Without me, society could crumble back into chaos," she declared haughtily.

Noin suppressed her surprise at Relena's sense of entitlement. "You could hire your own private security detail; I could make some recommendations of course."

"No, I have to have Heero!" Relena insisted. "Once my busy schedule starts, I won't have time to see him and if I can't see him our relationship will not progress-"

"Relena," Noin interrupted in a more familiar tone. "Are you considering Heero as a candidate for companionship?"

"Yes," Relena confirmed with a blush, her head held high as she stared at a point behind Noin's head.

"I see," Noin mused. "I'm afraid I will have to respectfully decline your request for a security detail provided by the Preventers. I will have a word with Heero about perhaps beginning a courtship."

"If I may offer a suggestion," Dorothy interjected from where she sat beside Relena, "Perhaps Agent Yuy could be convinced to accept a position as part of Ms. Relena's personal and private security detail."

"And leave the Preventers?" Noin asked, raising a brow. "I'm afraid his work as an agent is too highly valued by the Preventers to let him go."

"It is ultimately his choice though, isn't it?" Dorothy questioned archly.

"Of course," Noin replied, tight-lipped.

"Perhaps you would be generous enough to hint to Agent Yuy the importance of Ms. Relena's security?"

"Perhaps," Noin answered neutrally.

"Now, if there are any other matters you would like to discuss?"

"That will be all for today," Relena declared, rising from her seat.

"Just one more thing Ms. Noin," Dorothy spoke, approaching Noin's desk with an envelope in hand. "I was instructed to deliver this to you. And as to Heero Yuy, we look forward to hearing a favourable answer."

* * *

><p>"Trowa!" Quatre exclaimed as the tall lanky agent walked into the basement office, attired in his usual civilian attire of jeans and a turtleneck. Quatre threw his arms around Trowa's strong neck and hugged him tight. "Thank Allah you're back! Are you all right?"<p>

Trowa wrapped a gentle arm around the smaller man's torso. "I'm fine. I can't say the same for our situation though."

"What? Why?" Quatre asked in trepidation.

"Walker wasn't the only mole among our ranks."

"Damn!" Wufei muttered. "We made a rather unfortunate discovery ourselves."

Trowa tilted his head to the side in question.

"Quatre learned from Duo that the S.A. reworked Sanq City's ventilation system to disperse the QR145 virus."

"Does Noin know?"

"Noin will be down in a few minutes," Wufei informed. "At least as soon as she can get out of that Catalonia woman's clutches," he said with obvious disdain.

"And Heero?" Trowa asked quietly.

"I just sent him a message."

Noin arrived a few minutes later, followed shortly by Heero.

"You mean we have a re-worked ventilation system that's designed for germ warfare?" Noin asked in disbelief. "Right under our noses! How could we have missed this?"

"I already called Howard, the Sweepers are already making their way toward the tunnels. Howard thinks they'll be able to pinpoint all the new pipes by their distinct metallic composition," Wufei reported. "If all goes well he estimates that they should have it disabled by the end of the week."

"I hope you're the bearer of better news Barton," Noin turned to scrutinize Trowa. "Did everything go smoothly?"

"Yes, Walker has been disposed of and so far no one has come looking for him," Trowa replied, "But I found evidence that we have more moles in the organization. And I don't think they're independent contracts but S.A. loyalists."

All agents stilled as the implications of Trowa's statement hit them.

"I found evidence that our supply intake is being closely monitored," Trowa contined, "but I wasn't able to track it to a source since it came from within the building's public access system."

"Cut access to the system then," Wufei stated.

Quatre shook his head. "We'll spook them if we do that. I think we're in agreement that these moles need to be captured?"

Noin sighed. "It's not ideal but it may be the best decision strategy-wise. They must be trying to determine our future actions by the supplies we order. We'll have to be very careful with our supply intake from now on. We also might need the Sweepers to start doing supply runs for us."

Quatre suddenly started. "This means Duo at risk!" he exclaimed, "If they're monitoring our supply intake, they'll be able to figure out that we're holding Duo here! They'll find it suspicious if we report our captive dead yet continued to order supplies for him…"

Noin bit her lip. "That's not the only problem we have. Dorothy just served me with papers from the government telling me that they'll be conducting an inspection of the facilities in two days. The _entire_ facility. We need to move Duo off the premises."

"A safe-house?" Wufei wondered?

"No," Quatre disagreed. "If they have access to our supply intake records, they'll have access to our safe-house rations allocation. Any increase and they might start asking questions."

"Will the spies be able to determine the location of our safe-houses?" Noin wondered.

"No," Wufei informed. "That information is highly encrypted and on a need to know basis only, Nataku has detected no breaches to our classified databanks."

"Good," Noin nodded. "But we can't risk anyone finding out about Duo's existence. He'll have to be strictly off the grid. Should we send him into the care of the Sweepers?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, I believe he still holds a lot of information that is valuable to us. Howard would have to send him into space to protect him and we still need access to him. I could send him to L4 to be under the protection of the Magnac Corps."

"That's a generous offer Quatre, but we can't risk moving him off L1. The S.A. spies are no doubt monitoring all inter-colony travel very closely," Noin replied.

"What other solutions are there? We need to move him offsite – but not out of reach – and he needs a new identity …" Wufei wondered in exasperation.

"I already have a plan," Heero spoke up.

"You do?" Wufei raised a brow.

"Yes, it meets all the criteria. Duo will become my companion."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Finally an update! Very busy week this week not to mention I had to rewrite sections of this chapter several times… ugh, plot holes and inconsistencies are such easy traps to fall into!<br>The part about vaccine creation was written with what little I remember from biology classes and what I found on Wikipedia so I can't vouch for 100% accuracy. _

_Thanks for all the adds to story alerts and even some favourites! Thanks for continuing to read as well! (although readership seems to be going down? Traffic stats are EVIL… I can't resist checking them but then end up overanalyzing and agonizing over them…)_

_And a BIG THANK YOU for all the reviews! They definitely keep my starving muses fed. Feel free to keep 'em coming!. :P_


	15. Episode Fourteen: Motivations

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Fourteen: Motivations (January 7, 280 AE)<em>

* * *

><p>The room exploded into exclamations of surprise and disbelief following Heero's matter-of-fact announcement.<p>

"Have you lost your mind Yuy? This is madness!" Wufei sputtered.

"Yuy, I better have heard that wrong. You didn't just say you were going to make Duo your companion did you?" Noin gritted out, torn between total exasperation and outright fury.

"Heero, did you think this through? I can't help feeling that you would be setting yourself up for more trouble than you can handle. Right Trowa?"

Only Trowa remained impassive, Heero's declaration having absolutely no outward effect on him. "Why don't we hear him out?"

"Yes, why don't you explain your brilliant scheme to us?" Noin growled sarcastically, choosing anger.

"Hiding him in plain sight is ideal solution," Heero intoned with conviction. "The first place any spy would look for him would be in our witness protection program. They could also track him through discrepancies in ration allocations. By making him my companion, he can receive his ration allocation legitimately as my dependent. Secondly, because of my status as a member of the Gundman Ten, our union can be kept from public documentation; both our records would be shielded by the Veterans' Privacy Act. As my companion he will always be within reach and I can guard him at all times."

"He'll still need a legitimate identity," Wufei pointed out.

"Howard is already making arrangements. Duo will take the identity of one of Howard's men who was lost in a space accident. His death was not recorded; he is still listed as MIA. We will deactivate his MIA status and alter the record to replace him with Duo. Due to the Sweepers' independent records system, the change will be undetectable and untraceable."

"Why not just leave it that?" Noin wondered, "If he has an indisputable new identity, there is no reason to shackle yourself to him. We could provide more than adequate protection for him."

Heero glared. "They could track him through his guard detail. Not to mention the last time I left his side, he died!"

"Only for five minutes," Quatre soothed. "No offense Heero but I fail to see how you could have protected him from that particular attack."

"Exactly," Noin confirmed. "I fail to see how you need to go to such extreme measures. We could set up a rotation where each of us could take turns looking after his well-being."

Heero set his jaw stubbornly. "You're the ones who are always telling me that I need companionship, a stabilizing presence in my life."

"I wouldn't exactly call his presence 'stabilizing'" Wufei ventured hesitantly.

"I agree. When we said you needed companionship we were thinking more along the lines of Relena," Noin explained.

"Yes, and you can't forget your rather unbalanced nature," Wufei blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Unbalanced?" Heero growled. "I exercise great control over my-"

"He didn't mean it like that Heero!" Quatre interrupted in a rush. "It's just… you don't always operate within societal norms. Relena would be well suited-"

"Duo will suit my needs just fine. He too doesn't operate 'within societal norms'. He is also strong and intelligent; I will be satisfied with his company."

"Yuy, I can't just let you make such a rash decision like this. Most companionships are permanent," Noin argued. "There is no way I could endorse such an action, especially when you have such an opportunity with Rel-"

"I have given it sufficient thought," Heero snapped at her. "It requires no further analysis."

"Trowa," Quatre implored. "Say something!"

"I think it's a good plan."

"What!" Quatre, Wufei and Noin gaped at him as though he had lost his mind.

"It is logically sound and far better than any other plan that has been suggested today. Ultimately it is Heero's decision, we have no say in his private life."

"No it isn't," Noin put her foot down. "Duo is a captive of the Preventers and as commander I am putting a stop to Heero's sudden illogical obsession with this UNDIS."

"It's not sudden or illogical," Heero declared coldly. "You've known for a long time how I felt about the UNDIS population. Or have you forgotten our agreement when you first recruited me?"

Noin inhaled sharply and bit her lip.

"I agreed to join the Gundam Ten because I opposed the S.A.'s treatment of the UNDIS. I made it clear that my reasons for fighting the S.A. were to right those wrongs and save the UNDIS. You and the others convinced me that the best way to do that was to target the Liberators and later, to protect the politicians who opposed the S.A. You assured me that those very politicians would help secure the UNDIS's futures. But when the rebellion finally ended, the UNDIS were all dead! And everyone was secretly relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with the 'UNDIS problem'. Duo is the only one left, and my mission remains the same. I will protect him to the very end," Heero vowed.

"Heero I…" Noin faltered for words. Next to her, Quatre held his hands over his muffle his sobs as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I'll leave the Preventers if I have to, I will protect him at any cost. And if you get in my way, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Wufei raised a hand to interrupt Heero's growing tirade. "No need for such drastic measures Yuy. I apologize for my earlier rush to judgement. How can we help?"

"Yes, how can we help?" Quatre offered, fighting to control his tears.

Trowa gazed unwavering at Noin. "Are you going to get in our way? You know we will side with Heero."

"No," Noin sighed. "I'm sorry, I truly am. I guess I just got wrapped up in my own motivations and failed to remember yours."

"We will need to make a list of what needs to be done," Wufei declared, efficiently bringing order and calm to the group.

"We'll need a judge that we can trust to officiate and approve the union," Noin advised.

"I'll call Justice Noventa, he officiated my union to Trowa. My family and his have had a long standing relationship," Quatre offered.

Trowa nodded at Quatre's choice. "I'll complete all the applications and paperwork for official companion status." He turned to Heero. "Do you have the details of Duo's new identity?"

Heero nodded. "Yes. I'll contact Howard and finalize the details of Duo's new identity."

Quatre suddenly smacked himself on the forehead. "Allah! We've forgotten the most important thing!"

Four pairs of eyes stared blankly at him.

"Duo! Is he well enough to be moved? Will he even agree to this?"

"Sally has given him a clean bill of health. He is still physically weak but not an invalid," Wufei informed. "As to his agreeing, we will simply convince him that it would be in his best interests. Speaking of which, I will procure him some clothes and have Sally pack a small kit of necessities for him. How soon can we have the union officiated?"

"It will depend on how quickly we can make all the arrangements and Justice Noventa's availability. With Allah willing, we should be able to complete the entire process by early evening," Quatre estimated.

"Good," Noin commended. "I'll start getting the upper levels ready for inspection. We can worry about this level once we've safely gotten Duo off the premises. Report to me if we run into any problems. And Heero?"

Heero met her gaze evenly.

"I truly am sorry. I was completely out of line. You have my full support on this, I swear it."

"Thank you."

"Good. Get to work agents!"

* * *

><p>"You brainless ape!" Sally bellowed, hitting Wufei over the head with his tablet. "What in the universe did you say to make Duo fly off the handle like that?"<p>

She glanced into the room once more, noting that it looked as though a hurricane had swept through it. All the bedding had been torn off the bed and thrown about the room, a leg of the chair speared the mattress and a mangled handcuff dangled from the bed's frame. The desk and refrigerator had suffered similar fates, their contents strewn about the room and the walls were painted with the bright colours of the various canned juices. Duo huddled in a corner of the room, staring into the monitor of a vidphone, alternating between pulling anxiously at his fraying braid and shouting streams of obscenities at the hapless caller. Quatre hovered next to him, uncertainly clutching the rat carrier to his chest and glancing worriedly between the vidphone and Duo.

"Well?" Sally snapped? "I'm waiting!"

"I told him to get dressed and cleaned up; that he needed to look presentable for when we brought him in front of the judge so that we could register him as a companion to Heero in order to ensure his safety. Well, I doubt he heard me after I mentioned 'companion', he started yelling very loudly at that point."

"And you see nothing wrong with how you presented this information?" she snarled, raising her tablet to strike again.

Wufei dodged the attack but failed to avoid the sharp kick to the shins that followed. "Control yourself woman! I merely presented the facts in a concise and logical manner! I didn't expect him to irrationally fly into a rage and come after me with the chair!"

"I strongly suspect that he's dislocated or even broken his thumb; removing his hand from the cuffs like that, and don't get me started on what kind of damage he might have caused when he ripped his right arm out of its bindings! And I can't get near him because my blithering idiot of a companion didn't realize that his 'clear and logical presentation' of the facts might be misconstrued? Think of it from his point of view, you've heard the rumours of how some UNDIS were forced to be 'companions' of the different kind!"

Wufei paled. "I would never condone such a dishonourable act!"

Sally snorted. "Well he doesn't know that! Maybe you should have explained the why before the what! At least you didn't try to physically subdue him or use your usual sedative."

Wufei gingerly picked at his formerly white T-shirt that was now thoroughly soaked with multi-coloured fruit juices. "Give me some credit woman," he grumbled. "Justice Noventa would never approve a companionship when one of the candidates is battered or unconscious, no matter how well he gets along with the Winner family."

When confronted with the image of a contrite and thoroughly dishevelled Wufei, Sally couldn't maintain her anger any longer and a chuckle escaped her lips. "I like the new look, it suits you. Perhaps now you'll concede to adding some colour to your wardrobe?"

"Cease and desist your teasing woman!" Wufei growled. "I will wear a black from now on."

"Bah! Boring," she snorted. "You're lucky Heero is at home preparing his apartment for Duo's arrival, otherwise your face would be as colourful as your shirt. Now, help me get Duo calmed down before he gets back." Sally brandished a liquid filled syringe. "You can do the honours of holding him still while I administer a low dosage of tranquilizers. It will calm him down enough to think 'clearly and logically'."

"Why can't Quatre help you with that?" Wufei objected.

"Simple," Sally replied, "he already hates you and we need Quatre to stay on his good side. Is that a logical enough explanation for you?"

"Your sense of logic is twisted and sadistic," Wufei muttered under his breath as he steeled himself to face Duo once more.

* * *

><p>"So I'm not going to be shipped off to some dirty old man?" Duo asked quietly, absently picking at the medical tape around his left thumb. Once he had been sedated, Sally had tended to his dislocated thumb and re-casted his right arm though she had not strapped it to his chest this time, giving Duo the use of both of his hands.<p>

"Of course not," Quatre assured, "Justice Noventa is an honourable man and a trusted family friend. He will merely be merely acting in an official capacity."

"Oh…" Duo faltered. "It's just…"

"What?"

"Well… it's just, rumours really. Growing up, there were always mysterious disappearances. We never knew what happened to them since we never saw them again but there was always speculation. Before the Red Death broke out, once a month or so, this band of higher-ups would tour through UNDIS quarantine zones. They'd point out several individuals, and within a week they were gone. The ones who were pointed out, they were all… well attractive. The rumours were that they were forced into being 'companions' to the S.A. elite, like some kind of slave ring..."

"Oh that's horrible!" Quatre exclaimed, gently grasping Duo's left hand to still his fidgeting. "I assure you this is nothing of the sort."

Duo took a shuddering breath. "I know I'm nothing special to look at, but when Wufei told me I needed to get up and make myself presentable to be a companion well… I kinda lost it."

"You'll have to forgive Wufei. He's the most righteous and upstanding person I know but tends to be very blunt and thinks only in terms of logic. When he meant you needed to make yourself presentable to see Justice Noventa, he merely meant that a hospital gown wasn't suitable clothing to go see a judge in."

"Oh," Duo looked sheepishly at his bony legs sticking out from under the hem of his hospital gown. "His nose?" he wondered.

Quatre smiled. "Probably broken but don't worry, Wufei is an accomplished martial artist, he's suffered dozens of broken noses, it won't phase him. Besides, Heero would have done much worse if he'd gotten to him first."

"Oh… Howard said that I was going to become Heero's companion?"

"In a strictly legal sense I assure you. We believe that you are no longer safe here. By becoming Heero's companion we will be able to hide you in plain sight, as well as give you a legitimate identity. By entering a companionship the two of you will be eligible for companion-sized housing and an appropriate ration allocation."

"What do you mean I'm not safe here?" Duo asked with a certain amount of fear.

"We know you were directly targeted in the Krushrenada Gardens," Quatre began.

"You knew I was there?"

"Yes, Wufei and I found traces of your blood at the scene." Quatre bit his lip before continuing hesitantly. "There was also an attempt on your life shortly after you were brought here. We were able to neutralize the threat, but in order to protect you, we had to report you as dead."

Duo stared in shock at Quatre, his mouth working soundlessly for a few moments before he finally croaked out: "Dead?"

Quatre nodded. "Yes. We recently discovered some further threats to your safety and we believe that removing you from the premises is of paramount importance."

"But if I'm 'dead'… not to mention I'm completely undocumented…" Duo stumbled to arrange his thoughts.

Quatre smiled gently. "We've created a new identity for you as one of the Sweepers Group. The valid Sweepers record in of itself will serve to shield you somewhat but having companion status will serve as a very effective smokescreen to your true identity."

"So you mean I'll have a legitimate record and be able to live out there?" Duo asked in awe. "Out in the open and on the surface…"

Quatre nodded enthusiastically. "You will essentially become a true citizen of the colonies."

"Wow… me an UNDIS, a true citizen…" Duo breathed in amazement before sobering. "That sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?"

"Well, there will need to be a few restrictions to ensure your safety of course. And we would appreciate your cooperation in defeating the S.A. once and for all. You will also need to be in the presence of Heero or one of us at all times."

"Figures," Duo mumbled. "Why Heero?"

"Well it was originally his idea and he's the only one of us that is unattached."

"What about peace dove? I thought he was supposed to get hitched with her? I saw them, they were all lovey dovey at peace ceremony thing. And he's a big hero and everything; doesn't he automatically qualify to have a 'reproductive companionship'?"

"According to Heero, he's not interested in any of it. He's very committed to his role as a soldier; I guess the public life just isn't for him."

When Duo looked confused and slightly troubled, Quatre hastened to ease his fears. "You have nothing to worry about, Heero might be very mission-oriented and undemonstrative but deep down he's a very kind-hearted person."

Duo sighed. "He seems nice enough I guess… not much of a personality though. It's not like I have a choice right?"

Quatre had the candour to look shame-faced. "We would rather have your cooperation but…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Hey, I'll take what I can get. If I get another shot at taking down the S.A. bastards, I'll take it. Beggars can't be choosers…"

Quatre smiled cheerfully. "Now that we've cleared up this horrible misunderstanding, how about we get you cleaned up and dressed?"

Duo clambered to his feet with Quatre's help and followed him docilely down the hall to the small communal bathroom.

"Do you know how the shower unit works?" Quatre asked as he guided Duo to the back section of the bathroom, filled with three narrow stalls.

"Yeah," Duo replied, red-faced. "Heero stuck me in one of these the other day."

"Ah good," Quatre chirruped cheerily as he helped him remove his hospital gown but allowed him to keep the modesty of his shorts. Quatre faltered slightly at the sight of Duo's emaciated frame but hid it well, never losing his smile as he handed Duo a fresh pair of black shorts and undershirt.

"I'll be waiting outside, call me if you need anything."

"Thanks," Duo called out as he heard the door shut behind Quatre. He was grateful that the blonde had allowed him a measure of privacy. Cheeks flaming he remembered the incident a few days ago when Heero had striped him bare, shoved him into the shower unit and stood right outside the stall, watching him the entire time. His small saving grace was the purely detached manner in which Heero had acted. Logically, he had understood the need for Heero to help and monitor him, but he couldn't help feeling mortified at being seen in such a vulnerable position.

Awkwardly managing to slither out of his shorts, Duo stepped into the tiny stall and slid the glass door shut behind him. Once shut, the shower unit automatically hummed to life, dusting his body with a disinfectant powder. Next air vents roared to life and blasted him free of the powder with warm currents of air before the nozzles lining the walls of the stall sprayed him with a fine mist of a scented water solution. When he was lightly soaked, the air vents switched back on to thoroughly dry his hair and skin, the entire process taking less than five minutes.

Quatre reappeared once Duo had managed to step into his fresh pair of shorts and pull the shirt over his head. Grinning, he held up a pair of dull grey coveralls. "The unofficial Sweepers uniform! You need to look the part after all."

Feeling better at seeing shapeless coveralls, he allowed Quatre to help him into them and snap the fasteners into place. Socks and boots soon followed, Quatre tying the boot's laces when Duo's ribs protested. Stepping back, Quatre view him critically, tapping a finger against his chin in thought.

"We'll have to do something about your hair," Quatre commented, gesturing at Duo's tattered braid. "Do you need help re-braiding it? Or perhaps a trim?"

"No!" Duo clutched his braid protectively. "Stay away from my hair!"

"Easy…" Quatre soothed, raising his hands in surrender. "I think I have an idea. Wait here." Quatre disappeared down the hall for a few moments before returning with a sturdy black cap. He carefully fitted the cap on Duo's head and tucked his braid down the back of the loose-fitting coveralls.

"There!" Quatre exclaimed happily. "We should make our way towards city hall soon; it's just a short walk from here."

* * *

><p>In one of the many private offices of Sanq City Hall, Trowa typed a final few commands into the computer.<p>

"All the paperwork is complete; there will be no public record according to the Veterans' Privacy Act. All we need now is Justice Noventa's approval."

Heero merely grunted in reply as he gazed out the small window at the courtyard below, his arms crossed and his posture stiff. He had changed out of his Preventers uniform to avoid attracting attention and was dressed simply in jeans, a plain T-shirt and a light green jacket.

"Once Noventa approves the companionship, your ration allocation will be adjusted immediately, and you will be eligible for companion-status housing," Trowa informed as he rose from his seat.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes," Trowa replied. "Quatre just sent a message that he was on his way with Duo. It would be best if I left before they arrived. I'll be at headquarters securing our level for the inspection."

Heero nodded slightly, his jaw clenching with tension as he followed Trowa out into the hall.

"Everything will be fine Heero. Quatre says that Duo has responded quite favourably to the plan and Justice Noventa has agreed to approve the companionship provided that he receives a credible explanation and that the application is in order."

"Thank you," Heero mumbled gruffly, "for everything."

Trowa's mouth quirked upwards in a faint smile and they quietly parted ways at a junction in the corridor.

Heero turned down another corridor only to freeze when he entered the private waiting room leading the judge's chambers.

"Howard?"

Howard turned from where he had been examining the paintings on the wall. "Wonder Boy!" he crowed in delight. "Here to make an honest man out of yourself?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Howard gestured to his strange attire consisting of a white suit, red hibiscus patterned shirt and clashing blue tie adorned with Dalmatians and fire hydrants. "One of my boys is getting hitched!"

"You're attracting unnecessary attention by being here!" Heero hissed.

"Relax kiddo, I'm here all the time, getting building permits, blueprint approvals, you name it! They're used to seeing me around."

"Dressed like that?" Heero growled.

"More or less," Howard shrugged. "They all think I'm crazy as a bat anyways, why not reinforce that notion? Being considered senile comes in real handy sometimes."

"Your presence is not required."

"Of course it is! It's customary that at least one close associate of each candidate is present as a witness." Howard clapped a friendly hand on Heero's shoulder and lowered his voice, "Besides, me being here will validate Duo's identity."

Heero faltered. "Witnesses?"

Howard grinned. "No sweat kiddo, most social customs are beyond my grasp too."

* * *

><p>Duo's head spun as Quatre quickly navigated them through dozens of twists and turns through narrow side streets and back alleys, not once coming near a crowded main street since they had left through the hidden exit of the Preventers headquarters.<p>

Before they had left, Quatre had donned his usual brown wig and a pair of sunglasses. When Duo had asked him if he was going to be handcuffed, Quatre had merely laughed and inquired sweetly if he needed to be. After that, Quatre had chatted non-stop about the various buildings around them, anecdotal bits of Sanq history and meaningless gossip until they had reached the back entrance of City Hall. Quatre easily gained entrance and bypassed security with his Preventers ID. Once inside, he began to complain loudly about moody commanders, boring assignments and overtime.

"Six hours of overtime this week!" Quatre groused loudly. "Can you believe it?"

Duo had no idea what to make of Quatre's sudden change in demeanour and could only nod dumbly.

"Most of it meaningless stuff to. Fetch this, fetch that! They won't let me do anything fun because I'm still a rookie! It's so stupid," Quatre whined nosily. "It must suck being an apprentice of the Sweepers too. They won't let you anywhere near the fun stuff do they?"

"Uh… no they don't," Duo mumbled in confusion until he realized that the curious eyes that had greeted their arrival were now turning away, uninterested in a Preventers rookie and a Sweepers apprentice.

Before long they had climbed three ornate winding staircases, Quatre never once giving up his tirade on being an unappreciated rookie. Duo mumbled appropriate responses until they reached a double set of doors and stepped into a private waiting room. Inside, they found Howard lounging lazily in a chair while Heero sat straight-backed and stiff, radiating tension. Seeing them enter, something akin to relief flashed briefly in Heero's eyes.

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long!" Quatre chirped cheerily as he made his way to the judge's office and knocked politely before entering.

"This is most exceptional request young Winner," a deep voice spoke.

"There are some mitigating circumstances I'm afraid. I do hope you'll forgive my-" Quatre's answer was cut off by the closing door.

Feeling bereft without Quatre's reassuring presence, Duo suddenly felt awkward as the gravity of the situation hit him in full force. Now that he was face to face with Heero, he couldn't understand what had compelled him to agree to this crazy plan. He wondered if it was truly worth it to go through with this, just in order to get another shot at the S.A., or if he was signing away his life. Seeing Heero's stiff posture, he wondered if he was also being forced into this, or if Heero hope to gain something from tying his life to Duo like this.

"Hey kiddo!" Howard grinned, interrupting Duo's panicked thoughts. "You're looking a lot better. The Sweepers look suits you!"

"Thanks," Duo mumbled, staring at Howard's eye-searing attire in shock.

"You ok?"

"Yeah… it's just… things are happening real fast, it's a lot to take in."

Howard nodded thoughtfully before cracking a grin. "I got you a present!" he declared, handing Duo a slim rectangular device.

"What's that?" Heero growled, stepping in and snatching the device out of Howard's hand.

"Easy Wonder Boy, it's just a comm unit, a special design I made just for him. It can't connect to the net sphere, it's strictly for calling and untraceable. See for yourself."

Heero checked the comm unit over very carefully before confirming Howard's statement. Although he could find no fault with it, he seemed reluctant to give it to Duo. Howard made his mind up for him by taking the device from Heero's uncertain grasp and handing it to Duo.

"I'm programmed in there, speed dial one. Feel free to call me whenever you like. That alright with you Wonder Boy?"

Heero nodded mutely, not being able to find a reason to refuse.

Duo for his part kept his face lowered, trying to suppress his shock. He recognized the design of the device; it was one of the earlier models of Dr. G's cloaking device disguised as a working comm unit.

"Now listen close kiddo, if you ever find yourself in a jam, the emergency code is "Hibiscus", alright? You type that in and it'll alert all the Sweepers that there's one of us in distress. But I don't want you using that code for just anything you hear? You stick close to Heero and the other boys; they have your best interests at heart."

Duo nodded solemnly. "Thanks Howard," he whispered softly before pocketing the device.

"Don't mention it kid, you're part of the Sweepers family now. We take care of our own."

"The Sweepers support will be helpful," Heero conceded, seeing the benefit of potential backup from the Sweepers.

The door to the judge's office opened and Quatre popped his head out. "Everything's been settled. Justice Noventa is ready to see you now."

Duo froze, doubts once again rising to the forefront of his mind. Sensing his hesitation, Howard herded him into the judge's chambers where Quatre and Justice Noventa were waiting. Coming to a halt in front of the judge's formidable desk, Duo fidgeted nervously. Heero came to stand next to him, silent and impassive as always.

"Young Winner has informed of the circumstances surrounding your hasty union," Justice Noventa intoned gravely, his stern features scrutinizing the pair before him. "Due to Agent Yuy's commendable service to restore peace and his status as a decorated veteran, I have decided to approve this companionship."

"You are Duo Maxwell?" the judge asked, fastening his piercing gaze on Duo.

Duo nodded mutely, enable to force an answer past his constricting throat.

Noventa turned his attention to Howard who stood slightly behind Duo. "You will vouch for him and act as a witness today?"

"Yes your honour," Howard replied seriously. "He's one of my boys and I am acting as his witness today."

"Good, and I presume that you are Yuy's witness Winner?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Am I to understand that you Agent Yuy are taking Duo Maxwell as your companion and registering him as your dependent?"

"Yes your honour."

"And you Duo Maxwell agree to this arrangement?"

Duo broke out into a cold sweat as panicked thoughts once again whirled through his head. Could he go through with this? What was the true purpose behind making him Heero's companion? He still didn't trust any of the men in the room yet; he couldn't quell the overwhelming longing to legitimately belong to the world, to have an actual home. This desire ultimately overrode his fears, telling him to take the risk, to possibly have his wish come true, if only for a while.

Licking dry lips, Duo finally croaked out: "Yes sir."

Justice Noventa looked troubled for a moment as he studied Duo's pale face. "Young man, are you being coerced somehow? Do you swear to the oath of companionship of your own free will?"

Quatre began to look worried while Howard stiffened next to him. For the first time since he had been brought to the courthouse Heero turned to gaze fully at Duo, his eyes solemn yet earnest at the same time. Meeting that intense gaze briefly Duo dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to bear the sheer power of those steel blue eyes. Howard had given him a cloaking device with which he could possibly make an escape at a later time, yet the oath of companionship required that he remain by Heero's side. 'I promised to never tell a lie ever again,' he thought desperately. When Noventa opened his mouth to question him again, Duo snapped his head up and met the judge's gaze evenly, decision made.

"I swear or so help me God."

Seeing the determination on the young man's face, Justice Noventa nodded in satisfaction. "Very well. I hereby declare this companionship valid in the eyes of the law. Your union to each other will be kept from the public record although both of you will be upgraded to companion status in the official record."

* * *

><p>Mentally and physically exhausted, Duo could barely take note of his surroundings as he stumbled through the darkened side streets and alleys. Heero's hand was warm where it gripped his elbow, although he didn't know if it was to keep him upright or to keep him from escaping. 'Probably both,' he mused to himself.<p>

Before long, Heero was guiding him into the back entrance of a residential tower and into the elevator. After rocketing to the top levels of the building, Heero led him down a long hallway to a non-descript door. Swiftly unlocking it, he ushered Duo inside. Duo blearily took in the small one room apartment, too tired to note any details. Before he knew it, he was guided towards the only bed and tumbled gratefully onto the mattress.

Unable to keep his eyelids open, the last thing Duo remembered was the sensation of gentle hands removing his cap, boots and socks before tucking him securely into bed.

* * *

><p><strong>CompanionCompanionship: **When same sex unions became as common as heterosexual marriages, the terms 'husband' and 'wife' were replaced with 'companion' so as to show no favouritism to either type of union; 'Marriages' became known as 'Companionships'. Many 'companionships' take place for economical reasons as resources and living space are severely limited in the colonies. Those with 'companion' status receive slightly better ration allocations than individuals and are qualified to inhabit larger living spaces.

**Reproductive Companionship: **A special form of companionship where the couple are allowed to have children. These couples are meticulously screened for genetic compatibility and all offspring are screened for genetic defects while still embryos. 'Defective' embryos are either 'corrected' or not allowed to come to term. Those considering entering a reproductive companionship often undergo an extensive courtship to determine eligibility for the elite union, while in rare cases; some companionships are upgraded to reproductive companionships. Certain members of society are often short-listed for reproductive companionship such as war veterans and high ranking politicians.

* * *

><p><em>AN: And another chapter. Still desperately avoiding plot holes and venturing too far into the land of clichés. <em>

_THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the reviews! The response has been amazing (and highly motivating!) It's also helping me see where I might have stumbled in my story line and where things aren't as clear as they should be. _

_I'm not sure about the protocol of responding to reviews. I've had a few authors reply to reviews that I've posted so… I'll just say that I really really really appreciate the time you guys take to review and that if you would like me to reply, just leave a note like 'reply' please. _

_Of course a big thank you to everyone who's added me to their alerts and favourites lists. And last but not least, thanks for reading!_


	16. Episode Fifteen: The Minimalist

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

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><p><em>Episode Fifteen: The Minimalist (January 9, 280 AE) <em>

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><p>Heero straightened from his work, stretching his tired back and neck muscles and grunting in satisfaction as he felt his vertebrae audibly pop back into alignment. Turning away from his investigation into the cloned credits scheme for the first time in hours, he noted that it was only an hour or so until the colony would begin the changeover to its daytime cycle. Switching his gaze from the small window to the narrow single bed below it, he studied the figure quietly sleeping in the rumpled bedding. Duo had spent most of the previous day in a feverish sleep; his weakened body over-taxed by the physical and mental stress from his sudden transition from Preventers captive to Heero's companion. Duo's fever had finally broken late last night and now he slept peacefully, sprawled haphazardly across the narrow bed, jaw slack as he drooled onto his pillow. Heero noted with some contentment that Duo was the most relaxed he'd ever seen him but made a mental note to change and wash the bedding once Duo woke up. After quietly studying Duo's sleeping face, gently awash with the bluish light from his computer monitor, Heero reluctantly turned his attention back to his investigation but found himself unable to concentrate.<p>

Giving up all pretences of work, Heero stood from his seat next to the bed and strode into the kitchen, jerking open the fridge and surveying its contents. With a disapproving glare to its meagre contents, Heero pulled out an energy gel and efficiently sucked down the contents of the packet. Disposing of the empty container, Heero distractedly rearranged the few containers on the kitchen counter before returning them to their original positions. Stalking over to the lounge area window, he inspected the row of pots on the window sill, looking to see if any of his seeds had sprouted. Frowning when he saw no signs of life, he gazed out the window to the watch the slowly brightening artificial sky and the first signs of the city stirring to life. With a frustrated huff, he turned away from the window and back toward the bed. A scant few steps brought him to the side of the bed where he gazed down at Duo's sleeping figure for several long minutes before hesitantly reaching forward to brush Duo's bangs out of his face under the pretext of checking his temperature.

Thankfully Duo's forehead was only slightly warm to the touch, his skin still faintly damp from his earlier fever. Unconsciously, Heero perched on the edge of the bed began to lightly stroke the bridge of Duo's nose as he contemplated their current situation; mentally adding to the list of supplies he would need to order for Duo and further security precautions he would need to take in order to keep him safe. Yesterday, he had begun to place a preliminary order of supplies for Duo but had been sidetracked as he remembered how his last order had been somehow hijacked. Heero snapped back to the present and jerked away as though burned when Duo stirred lightly beneath his hand, mumbling under his breath as he stirred to wakefulness.

"Hmm…?" Duo murmured as he forced his reluctant eyes open. His left arm moved as if to rub at his eyes but stopped short as though it expected to meet resistance. Duo blinked and sat up when he felt the absence of metal on his wrist and glanced around at his surroundings in confusion.

"Uh…. Hey?" Duo stuttered awkwardly when he locked gazes with Heero.

Standing several steps away from the bed, Heero fell back on habit: "How are you feeling?"

"Uh… good? Not being chained up is a plus!" Duo grinned weakly as Heero continued to stare expressionlessly at him.

"Man… how long was I out for?" Duo asked, sheepishly scratching at his head. "I feel like I've been asleep for days…"

"Approximately thirty-four hours."

"Woah…" Duo fidgeted with the rumpled bed sheets as he glanced around the small apartment. "This your place?"

Heero nodded mutely.

"It's… uh… cozy?" Duo offered as he observed his Spartan surroundings. His eyes roved over the simple tiny kitchen and lounge area, the small entrance foyer lined with cabinets and a door leading to what seemed to be a bathroom. He counted three small windows including the one above his bed, a single desk, chair and standing closet next to the bed and a heavily locked trunk in the farthest corner of the apartment.

Heero frowned. "We will be moving to a larger living space once we can find a suitable dwelling."

"Hey! I'm not complaining or anything," Duo frantically waved his hands in placation, "just surprised is all ya know? All that time I spent in the UNDIS quarantine and living below ground, imagining what you 'advantaged' were living like… well… I kinda thought you lived in, uh, more luxurious settings…"

Heero nodded imperceptibly. "Some do, this is the lower rent district of Sanq. I don't spend much time here so my needs are minimal."

Squirming uncomfortably under Heero's expressionless stare, Duo turned his attention to the window above his bed. Looking out he had a bird's eye view of the neighbourhood filled with similar residential towers. What caught his interest, however, was a large dome he spotted several hundred yards away where he could spot the vague outline of trees and greenery inside. "Is that a park?" he asked excitedly.

Heero peered over Duo's shoulder before grunting in affirmative.

"Can we go?" Duo pleaded, turning his wide violet eyes on Heero. "Please? I've never walked on grass or seen an actual tree before!"

"No," Heero responded gruffly after faltering slightly under Duo's pleading gaze. "It's not safe for you to be outside yet," he added when Duo looked heartbroken.

"So sometime in the future then?" Duo asked hopefully with a weak smile.

Heero nodded curtly before making his way into the small kitchen. "You need to eat and rehydrate." Opening the fridge, he pulled out another energy gel and placed it on the counter.

Duo rose stiffly from the bed and shuffled over to the kitchen counter and perched on a stool before grabbing the gel pack and tearing the top off with his teeth. Gulping down the contents, Duo made a face at the taste. Once he'd dutifully downed the contents, Heero handed him an apple from the crate on the counter.

"Thanks!" Duo grinned as he bit into the apple with relish, savouring his juicy morsel. He glanced up and almost dropped his apple when he noticed the intense, searching expression on Heero's face as he watched him eat.

"Uh… this is really great, it's been a while since I had an apple as juicy as this one. The last one I had was all bruised and soft. You'd think deliveries to L1 would be handled better, I mean, they were throwing some crates out! Can you believe it?" Duo began to babble nervously under Heero's intense scrutiny.

"They were throwing crates out?" Heero frowned.

"I think so yeah, that's how I was able to pilfer them so easily. It was right after I snuck onto L1 and was looking for some grub and they were right there! I thought it was strange since it looked like a passenger bay but they were unloading cargo, in a real big hurry too, throwing stuff around and making a mess of things..."

"A passenger docking bay? Heero demanded.

"Uh… I think so? It was only three ports down from where the Preventers shuttle docked."

Heero's expression was thunderous as he grabbed Duo's wrist. "The shuttle you came in on? Three ports down, you are sure? And it was a cargo shuttle?"

Duo nodded frantically. "Yeah, it was a cargo shuttle alright; nothing but crates and containers, there was no passenger cabin."

Heero's scowl deepened before he realized that he had Duo's wrist in an unforgiving grip. "Finish," he urged, guiding the apple back to Duo's mouth.

"Are you mad?" Duo mumbled hesitantly around his mouthful of apple.

"Not at you," Heero growled. "Don't throw out the seeds," he added as an afterthought before stalking to his desk and typing a few commands. Straightening, he glanced around the room before moving to the cabinets at the entrance foyer and removing a laundry hamper and a new set of sheets. Duo watched while quietly munching on his apple as Heero efficiently stripped the bed and remade it with the fresh bedding. Finished, Heero pulled out a small travel case from under the bed and sorted through it, pulling out a fresh undershirt and shorts along with a long sleeved shirt and pants.

Opening the bathroom door, he placed the clothing items on the counter. "You should shower and get changed. I'll wash your current clothes along with the bedding."

Noticing that he was still wearing his Sweepers attire from two days ago, Duo wrinkled his nose. "Hehe, oops. Good call." Placing his apple core on the discarded gel pack wrapper, Duo moved to stand but jumped in surprise instead when a shrill bell sounded in the apartment.

Switching his laptop monitor to display the apartment's security feed, Heero furrowed his brow in puzzlement before moving to answer the door.

"Good morning Yuy," Wufei greeted from the other side of the door, his eyes shadowed with bruises and a butterfly bandage across the bridge of his nose. "I received your message, very interesting intel. May I come in?"

Heero frowned but stepped aside to allow Wufei to enter. "You didn't have to come here. And how did you get here so fast?"

"I was already on my way, Noin sent me. She needs you at headquarters," Wufei informed before catching sight of Duo's hovering form in the kitchen. "Good morning Maxwell."

"Uh… hey." Duo answered nervously.

"Headquarters? And what happened to your nose?"

Wufei smiled grimly. "Your companion has a very strong and accurate kick."

Duo scratched sheepishly at his head. "Err… sorry about that. I really didn't mean to, I just…"

Wufei raised a hand before inclining his head in a bow. "No apology necessary, I was at fault. I could have handled that situation much better."

"What's going on?" Heero growled, unhappy at being uninformed.

"We had a little misunderstanding the other day. More importantly, Noin needs you at headquarters ASAP, the dignitaries are expecting to meet you."

"Why? And why are you here?"

"I think that would be obvious Yuy, all the visiting dignitaries and politicians will want to meet the hero of the rebellion and the Preventers' top agent. I am here to keep Duo company and gather some information from him while you're at headquarters."

"Why isn't Quatre doing this?"

"Winner is joining the visiting dignitaries as the representative for WEI. He will be able to observe the visiting party, perhaps gain some insight into why they are touring Preventers facilities. Besides," Wufei gestured to his bruised face, "Noin didn't want me at headquarters, and I quote, 'panda-faced'. Would you prefer Barton be here?"

"No," Heero growled. "And I'm not leaving, I have errands to do," he continued almost petulantly, nudging the laundry hamper with his foot.

Wufei snorted. "Excuses Yuy, get moving! Maxwell will be fine with me, won't you?" he directed to Duo who continued to hover uncertainly in the kitchen.

Duo nodded hesitantly. "I'll be ok," he added when Heero looked sceptical.

Heero's frown deepened but he nodded reluctantly. Moving back into the bedroom area of the apartment, he viciously yanked open the closet and pulled out his uniform. Uncaring of the other two men, he quickly began stripping out of his clothes and dressing in his uniform. Startled, Duo turned away quickly and sat back down on his stool, absently picking seeds out of his apple core. Unfazed, Wufei moved further into the apartment and set his large duffle bag on the apartment's only couch.

Finished dressing, Heero moved to his desk and picked up Duo's comm unit and quickly typed in his contact numbers. Pulling his out his own device, he quickly programmed it to synch with Duo's unit. "If anything happens or if you need something, contact me. And if I contact you and you don't respond within ten minutes, I'll come back here immediately."

Placing Duo's comm unit on countertop in front of him, Heero moved to the entrance and pulled out his duffle from the foyer cabinet. Looking back at Duo and Wufei once more, he opened the door to leave.

"When you get to Headquarters, be sure to stop by your private office and set things up there."

Heero stared stonily at Wufei. "I don't have a private office."

"You do now. We had to clear out the lower level, it's now only for storage of classified files, weapons and a makeshift detention facility. All your personal effects have been moved into a private office on the sixth floor. The rest of us have offices adjacent to yours but we'll be listed as in the field."

"Why did we eliminate our basement office?"

"Barton believes that whoever is controlling the S.A. moles within the Preventers will be among the visiting dignitaries today. Duke Dermail will be among the visiting party and Noin has always had her suspicions about him as well. The sixth floor is quiet but by no means completely private. We may have to start looking for a new location for our team."

Heero's jaw tightened briefly before nodding once. With a final glance at Duo, he walked out the door and quickly disappeared down the hall.

* * *

><p>"… and as you can see, we store classified and sensitive data on our servers here. This restricted access level is also used for temporary detainment of high-level captives, and we have a general office that can be used to classified mission briefings." Noin informed as she led the visiting politicians and dignitaries.<p>

The group of touring dignitaries murmured among themselves as they glanced around at the facilities, some poking their heads into open doors while others peppered Commander Noin with inane questions. Relena walked among the group, clinging tightly to Heero's arm. Quatre moved listlessly with the group, a bored and petulant expression on his face as Dorothy followed him around the room like a shark on a blood trail, chattering away at him. Quatre met Heero's eyes briefly and shared a look of commiseration before rudely turning his back on Dorothy and walking away in an attempt to shake her off. Dorothy was not so easily deterred.

"What a fascinating level, don't you agree Quatre?" Dorothy purred. "I imagine this is where the top secret Gundam Ten agents meet for their mission briefings. It's unfortunate we couldn't meet the rest of the team. Don't you want to meet them Quatre?"

Quatre rolled his eyes. "I've already met one, I don't really care to meet the others."

"Ah yes, the illustrious Heero Yuy," Dorothy nodded her head towards Heero and Relena. "They make such a wonderful couple, don't you think?"

"_Ms._ Catalonia," Quatre gritted out in irritation, "I really don't care about any of this, I'm only here because my sister forced me to come as a representative to WEI. And frankly, you're giving me a headache. Go bother someone else with your frivolous gossip."

Rather than being offended, Dorothy grinned widely. "I see. You're just as immature and selfish as the rumours say you are. Yet even you are ruled by money, aren't you? After all, that is why you are here isn't it? Katarina must have threatened to cut off your handsome allowance unless you performed a few basic duties for the company?"

Quatre didn't reply but his displeasure was clearly written across his fair features.

Dorothy leaned closer and began to whisper in a conniving manner. "You're the rightful heir to WEI, you should be the one ruling the company, not your sister and her companion. If you take back control, you could do as you please and have the vast Winner fortune at your fingertips! I could help you with that…"

Quatre pretended to look interested at Dorothy's proposal before shrugging. "I suppose I could, but that would require work. I'm not a big fan of work."

"I see," Dorothy sighed in disappointment. "Well if you ever grow tired of being under your sister's thumb, my offer still stands."

"I'll keep that in mind," Quatre yawned widely. "Now leave me alone, you're making my headache worse." Turning swiftly on his heel, Quatre plopped into a chair at the conference table and rested his head in the cradle of his arms, feigning suffering from a hangover while keeping his ears tuned to the various conversations taking place around him.

Dorothy watched him for a few seconds more before finally realizing she would get no further with the Winner heir and turned her sights on a new target. Seeing that there was a break in the crowd surrounding Noin, she swiftly wedged herself next to Noin, leaving no room for the commander to avoid her.

"What a splendid facility you've established here Ms. Noin!" Dorothy purred. "I especially admire this level here; is this the location one of the operating bases for the Gundam Ten?"

"Ms. Catalonia, you know that I'm under oath not to disclose that information." Noin replied curtly.

"Of course, of course. How thoughtless of me. You seem very protective of them though, perhaps you have some personal connection to some of the members of the Gundam Ten?"

Noin glared heatedly at Dorothy, uncaring that she was showing her displeasure at the girl so clearly on her features. "Can I help you with anything Ms. Catalonia? I have no time for fostering your idle speculation."

"Of course, of course. You are a very busy woman Ms. Noin. I was merely trying to make some small talk before discussing business."

"Business?"

"Yes," Dorothy replied before sighing dramatically. "Don't they make such a lovely couple?"

Noin followed Dorothy's gaze to Relena and Heero, currently trailing behind the other guests while Relena batted her eyelashes at her hero.

"Have you had a chance to speak to Heero about a possible arrangement between the two of them?" Dorothy questioned, her sharp eyes fastened on Noin's face.

Noin met her eyes briefly before looking away quickly. "I'm afraid that Heero has declined Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft's generous offer on the grounds that he is unsuitable for both roles."

Dorothy frowned happily. "What do you mean he has refused? Why didn't you try to persuade him?"

"I did but he is steadfast in his decision. He feels there are other candidates much better suited to fulfilling Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft's personal and security needs."

"Is that so?" Dorothy replied archly. "I feel I must inform you Ms. Noin that I heard some most disturbing news from grandfather the other day. Apparently you due to your negligence, you _allowed_ a highly valuable prisoner to be assassinated in this building, on this very floor. You wouldn't want that bit of information getting out now would you? It would look very bad, especially since it occurred within the first few weeks of your recent promotion."

Noin started at Dorothy's revelation but clenched her jaw stubbornly and refused to be cowed. "Is that so?" she replied icily. "And yet you insist on having Heero as the lead security detail for Ms. Darlian-Peacecraft? He was the primary agent responsible for the prisoner's safety after all. A _responsible_ assistant would see that he is unqualified for the role and seek other candidates for the Supreme Minister's security detail."

"Touché, Ms. Noin," Dorothy smiled toothily at Noin. "You have won this round, but don't think this is over. You will soon see that having Heero Yuy and Relena Peacecraft together will be in your best interest. Good day Commander."

'What is that girl thinking?' Noin wondered as she watched Dorothy retreat. 'She's far too stubborn to concede so quickly, and why would she hint to me that her grandfather was behind the attack on Duo?'

* * *

><p>Duo tried to stop his teeth from chattering as he sat on a kitchen stool and vigorously rubbed his hair with a towel.<p>

"I've reset the shower unit's heating levels to normal," Wufei announced as he stepped out of the small bathroom. "Yuy should have realized that you would not be used to the freezing temperatures to which he is immune."

Duo gratefully accepted the blanket Wufei held out to him and wrapped it securely around himself before resuming his effort to dry his sodden mass of hair. "Why did he have the water heater turned off?"

"A cost-saving measure I presume," Wufei replied with a curled lip. "Yuy is rather stingy when it comes to providing for his own needs."

"Oh…" Duo muttered rather dejectedly. "I suppose I'm being a burden on him financially too… maybe you should set it back the way it was. I'll be fine, I was just surprised at the temperature, that's all…"

"Nonsense," Wufei snorted. "Yuy doesn't mind. He is quite generous when it comes to other people's needs. It's his own that he is so stringent about. Besides, you have your own basic ration allocation now which will more than cover the cost of heating the shower unit's water, not to mention your own increased share of water allocation. Speaking of which, I almost forgot."

Wufei pulled out a small plastic card with an imbedded chip and handed it to a mystified Duo.

"It's your new identification card. Your companionship to Yuy and your integration in the Sweepers has been fully processed, you are now a legitimate citizen of L1."

"Oh," Duo responded, finger the plastic card and examining it from all angles. "I look different in the picture…"

"Yes well," Wufei replied somewhat uncomfortably. "I thought it prudent to alter the image slightly so that you didn't appear so…"

"Sick? Emaciated? Beat up?"

Wufei frowned but nodded his head curtly. "Yes, I hope you take no offense. Sally is always reminding me that I am… insensitive at times."

Duo grinned weakly. "Hey, thanks man. I like the way I look in this picture, I look good. Sally is your companion?"

Wufei nodded again, noticeably stiffening at the question.

"Hey," Duo began once he realized that no verbal answer was forthcoming. "That Noventa judge said something about my companionship to Heero being a sealed record… but on this card, it lists me as 'companion status'."

"Yes, you are listed as companion status on the card so you can prove your eligibility to companion status rations and services. However, your card does not contain information on who your companion is or any personal information besides your name and date of birth. Your personal records are sealed and no one can look them up without express authority from a high court judge like Justice Noventa. It should pose as no problem for you though, there are many people with sealed personal records like yourself, so it will not raise suspicion. Anyone who sees your status will merely think that you were somehow involved in the rebellion and are shielded by the Veterans Privacy Act."

"Uh…" Duo stumbled as he tried to wrap his head around the concept.

"Do not worry yourself. You will get used to this new way of living with time. Right now you just need to worry about regaining your health. Speaking of which, I took the liberty of bringing lunch since I knew Yuy would only have those unpalatable gel packs," Wufei frowned in disapproval as he removed two large mugs from the cupboard. "He wouldn't even have proper cutlery if Sally hadn't taken it upon herself to stock his kitchen when he first moved in."

Duo carefully set his ID card on the countertop and returned to rubbing the moisture out of his hair, stopping every once in a while to rest his aching arms and ease the strain on his healing ribs. Wufei wisely pretended not to notice Duo's grimaces of pain, allowing the UNDIS captive a small modicum of dignity. Instead, he removed a large thermos from his duffel, placed the duffel on the floor next to couch and motioned for Duo to take a seat on the couch. Duo sunk heavily into the couch, still wrapped securely in his blanket, his fingers braiding his semi-dry hair with practiced ease. With a deep sigh flipped his braid over his shoulder and turned to the kitchen where Wufei was spooning steaming broth into the two mugs.

Duo's stomach grumbled at the smell as he gratefully accepted the mug Wufei handed to him and inhaled deeply. "Fresh herbs!" Duo exclaimed with no small delight.

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "You have a very discerning sense of smell," he noted wryly.

Duo nodded before taking a tentative sip. "Mmmhmm… freeze-dried never smells the same."

Wufei inclined his head thoughtfully. "The UNDIS hideout had a very advanced green-house. I took a look at the schematics, very impressive. I take it you were able to sustain yourselves?"

"Yeah… we managed to stay one step ahead of starvation." Duo's mouth tightened in a thin, unhappy line. "At least while G and Solo were still around…"

"And then…?"

"We scavenged what we could, managed to keep some of the plants alive… oh and supplemented our diets with rats and cockroaches."

Wufei turned slightly green when Duo mentioned the rats and cockroaches. "And yet you took care of that family of rats rather than turning the mother rat into your next meal…"

Duo didn't respond for several moments, taking long sips from his mug and staring off into the distance. Finally, as he neared the bottom of his mug he whispered softly: "Didn't seem right, without her, the pups would have died. Besides, I thought I was gonna die soon, no sense wasting seven lives… Sister Helen always said that all life is precious, no matter how big or small."

* * *

><p>Heero glared at the thick slices of meat and steamed vegetables sitting innocuously on his plate, his thick brows drawn together and his lips downturned in obvious displeasure.<p>

"Is there something wrong Heero?" Relena queried after she had finished daintily chewing her first bite.

Heero didn't respond but instead scanned the elegantly decorated restaurant, glowering as he took in the lavish decadence of the dishes being served for dinner.

"There is no need for such extravagance," he replied at last in clipped tones, returning his glare to his plate. "I am a simple soldier, my needs are minimal."

Relena looked troubled for a moment before for lowering her lashes demurely as a light pink dusted her cheeks. "You're more than a simple soldier to the colonies Heero, to me especially. You are just as deserving as everyone here…"

Heero shifted uncomfortably in seat, still making no move to touch his dinner.

Her cheeks continuing to warm and unable to meet Heero's gaze, Relena continued to eat her dinner, unaware that her dinner companion was not doing the same. After a few more bites and a sip of wine Relena added shyly, "Isn't this romantic? The two of us having dinner like this? I'm glad Dorothy suggested it; it gives us a chance to spend some time together in between our hectic schedules. After all, like Dorothy said, everyone needs to eat right?"

"Yes they do," Heero replied tersely while motioning to one of the waiters hovering along the wall. "But not everyone does."

"What?" Relena blinked, fork poised halfway to her mouth as she stared at Heero with wide eyes.

Heero stared back unflinchingly as he shoved his plate at the waiter that came to stand by their table. "Wrap it to go," he commanded gruffly. "I'll pick it up at the front."

"Are you leaving sir?" the waiter sputtered as he looked anxiously between the couple seated at the table, the newly crowned Supreme Ministers still only a third of the way through her dinner.

"Yes," Heero growled as he stood abruptly. "I must return to my duties. Thank you for the dinner Minister," he bowed stiffly and stalked towards the front, the waiter scurrying after him as another waiter detached himself from the wall and hurried to attend to the flabbergasted young woman seated in Heero's wake.

"What did I say?" Relena wondered to herself as her eyes began to water. "Heero… how did I upset you?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry for the delay folks! My life took a complete 180 back in August and my head is still spinning. Sadly, updates won't be as frequent anymore although I aim to have at least one or two updates per month... (maybe?) Anyways, here's the latest chapter. I know, not much going on, more foundations for later plot developments and a bit of insight into what Heero's values are. I promise that the next chapter will be more exciting!<em>

_And thanks for all the reviews! It was nice to see the a review pop up in my inbox every so often. Definetely motivated me to get this chapter out instead of waiting until Xmas break!_

_CHEERS!_


	17. Episode Sixteen: Monsters

_AN: Sorry folks, don't know what was up with this chapter but didnt' seem to want to post it... hope it's all fixed now!_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Sixteen: Monsters <em>_(January 9-10, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Duo was tired. Wufei had been interviewing him for most of the day. Although the onyx-haired agent had started out with more generalized questions, his inquiry eventually led into a more personal inquiry of Duo's life.<p>

Wufei looked down at his notes. "So Solo was working with the various non-S.A. orphanages to place UNDIS children."

Duo nodded. "Solo's place was like a halfway house for us UNDIS street kids. He'd find us, take us in and gradually integrate us into an orphanage. He said it was so we could grow up with kids our own age, get an education and all that stuff. He was also head of L2's Quadrant 9 rebels, so he didn't really have time to look after us… a couple of us kids stayed with him though… cause we had a harder time being placed…"

"So that was how you ended up in the Maxwell Church Orphanage?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah… I didn't really want to go. But Solo said it was for the best. Sister Helen would let me visit him though… And after the Red Death… Solo took to looking after us orphans full time. Well… those of us that were left…"

"How did Solo first find you?"

"He found me wandering the streets."

"Where were your parents? Do you remember them at all?"

Duo snorted. "Yeah sure, vaguely. They weren't what you call parent material though… just a bunch of selfish jerks."

Wufei flinched. "How so? I'm sure they did their best to provide for you, life must have been hard."

"Ha!" Duo barked. "Not for them it wasn't," he chuckled darkly. "No… no they took the easy way out."

"Suicide?"

"Not quite. But every drink, drug… anything that would give them any sort of high, they'd take it and they'd fuck like bunnies and have kids just because they could."

Wufei stiffened, his already perfect posture becoming stiff and unyielding. "I don't understand… UNDIS reproduction was strictly controlled… and later abolished."

Duo snorted before dissolving into coughs. "Nah, not underground. Most were sensible about it… kids were a liability and a burden. But my parents belonged to a sect called 'The Populists'."

Wufei furrowed his brow. "The Populists? I've never heard of them."

"Doesn't surprise me," Duo shrugged. "They were a pretty extreme and isolated group. Their version of sticking it to the S.A. was having as many kids as they could. They had some crazy leader who preached that the only way to bring down the S.A. was to create the Saviour Race."

"The Saviour Race?" Wufei repeated blankly.

"Yep. You 'advantaged' may be free from all known genetic defects, but by screening yourselves for genetic abnormalities, you're constraining the gene pool."

"But the UNDIS still had naturally occurring genetic mutations…" Wufei muttered, getting an ominous feeling of where the conversation was headed. "The Populists were trying to create an evolutionary superior species?"

"Bingo!" Duo grinned manically. "Of course those retards didn't realize that it would take hundreds of thousands of years to achieve naturally… but hey, any excuse to get shit-faced and fuck all day." Duo stared directly at Wufei, his eyes dark and clouded although his smile remained firmly in place. "I don't know who my father was. Us kids were told to call that shit-brained leader 'Father'. I know which woman gave birth to me. She didn't give birth to me because she wanted me, but because she _could_."

"What happened to them, the Populists I mean…" Wufei stumbled over his words, unnerved by Duo's dark stare.

"Their hideout was discovered by the S.A., and the rest is history," Duo made a shooting motion with his hand. "What?" Duo chuckled at Wufei's shocked expression and his smile widened. "You thought that the UNDIS were all blameless, that the S.A. had the market cornered on depravity? There are monsters in every rung of society, the sick and the inhumane. Most of them are just real good at hiding it, that's why you never notice 'em till it's too late."

Visibly shaking himself out his stupor, Wufei recognized Duo's baiting and defensive posturing for what it was. It was a sensitive subject and Duo was rearing for a fight.

"Let's move on." Wufei opened a new page on his tablet. He glanced up at Duo who was now staring sombrely out the window. "Do you need a break?"

Duo continued to stare out the window for another minute before shaking his head. "Naw, let's just get this over with."

"Very well. You had contact with a Dr. G during your time underground, yes?"

"Yeah I did," Duo muttered.

"And he was the creator of the cloaking technology?"

"Yeah."

"Did he leave any blueprints or schematics for the cloaking devices he created? Howard said he couldn't find any traces of it on the computer systems we retrieved from your hideout on L2…"

Duo's reply was curt and to the point. "He didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands."

"So there's no way to reproduce the technology? He didn't tell you how it works?"

Duo glanced at the comm unit Howard had given him before replying softly. "Not only was G crazy smart, but he was suspicious as hell and paranoid about people stealing his work. I don't know if he ever really trusted anyone in his poor miserable life," he glanced at the specially modified comm unit again. "Besides, the crazy old coot was always busy working on some new project, he didn't have the time or the patience to teach us how his innovations worked, just how to use them."

* * *

><p>"Have you managed to locate all the pipes laid by the S.A?"<p>

Howard turned from where he was supervising the Sweepers work at dismantling sections of pipe. "Hey there Commander!" he winked over his glasses. "I think we've found most of it, some last few hidden spots but we'll get 'em all. Don't you worry yourself Commander, I've got my best working on it!"

"Good." Noin sighed heavily and ran a hand through her short locks, tugging at her bangs.

"Something wrong Commander?" Howard wondered, turning his full attention to Noin.

"I don't know," Noin sighed again. "It's been a long day. Moving everything out of the basement level of headquarters , covering our tracks and dealing with all those meddling dignitaries… and we're still no closer to figuring out who was behind the attack on our 'guest' although…"

Howard cocked his head to the side. "Something's definitely bothering you Commander, out with it! Sometimes it's better to think out loud."

"What's better to think out loud?" a calm voice asked from the shadows.

Howard flinched. "Holy Asteroids! Don't sneak up on an old man like that!"

Trowa detached himself from the shadows and came forward, hands in pocket. "Sorry," he smiled unapologetically, "force of habit. What has you worried?"

Noin bit her lip. "Dorothy cornered me during the tour, she's still hung up on having Heero and Relena enter a companionship."

Howard snorted. "Too late for that. Wonder Boy made sure of that."

"And?" Trowa prompted, intuitively knowing that his commander had more to tell.

"She knew about the attack on our 'guest'; said her grandfather told her."

"What in the colonies?" Howard exclaimed. "The Dermails and Catalonias have always been manipulative lot but they've never been one to show their hands this early in the game…"

"Did she know that the assassination was unsuccessful?" Trowa queried quietly.

"No," Noin shook her head. "Thankfully she seems to think that our captive is dead. I just can't wrap my head around why she would tell me that her grandfather is involved somehow… is trying to throw us off the trail or is she trying to help us?"

Howard scoffed. "No one in that power-mongering family does or says anything at face value. There's always a hidden agenda."

"I know," Noin grumbled, "so why is she purposely trying to steer us in the direction of her grandfather? They must already know that we have their suspicions about them so why… AAGGGHHH!" Noin screamed, whipping out her gun when a furry head popped out of an open section of pipe across from her and chattered excitedly.

"No! Don't shoot!" Howard yelled, scrambling towards Noin but Trowa was faster, fluidly wrenching the gun from Noin's grip before she could fire off a shot.

"What the hell is that?" Noin panted, glaring at Trowa who returned her gun to her with a simple quirk of his brow.

"_She_," Howard emphasized, "is one of my best workers and is leading the search for the unauthorized sections of pipe."

"What?" Noin demanded, slack-jawed.

"Come here, beautiful," Howard crooned, extending his hand towards the pipe entrance. "What do you have to show papa?"

A lithe sable-coloured ferret leapt from the open pipe to scurry up Howard's arm and perch on his shoulder and squeak indignantly at Noin. "Yes I know baby, she shouldn't have pointed a gun at you but you surprised her. What did I tell you about sneaking up on soldiers, hmmm?"

"Again… what is that, that… that.." Noin sputtered.

"Sable Ferret," Trowa supplied helpfully.

"Right, ferret, rodent, whatever. What is it doing in the pipes? There are laws against having animals down here!"

"Relax," Howard chucked. "Bella and her crew are fully licensed as worker animals. Usually she helps me out when I'm inspecting my fleet. These little gems," Howard lifted the creature from his shoulder to display the small 360 camera strapped to her back, "get into all the nooks and crannies to let me see what's going on. Thanks to her and her crew, we've been able to locate even the more cleverly hid sections of pipe."

"Crew?" Noin grumbled, turning a shade paler.

Trowa cocked his head to the side as though listening as he gazed into the darkened corridor. "I see that your dinner with the Supreme Minister didn't last very long," he commented idly.

A scowling Heero emerged from the darkened tunnel.

"Oh joy," Noin grumbled under her breath. "Please tell me you stayed until the end of dinner," she begged before she caught sight of the container clutched in Heero's hand and groaned loudly. "Of course it was too much to expect you to sit through a simple dinner."

Heero stared stonily at Noin. "It wasn't a simple dinner. What they were serving would have cost a mid-level citizen a month's luxury credits. The restaurant was serving a large quantity of highly-regulated meats. They should not have had that much in supply. And the restaurant was by membership only," Heero growled.

Noin rubbed the bridge of her nose. "So you think that even restaurants are involved in this credit scheme?"

Heero nodded. "I also uncovered more information on how these stolen goods have been smuggled into the colony. They have been avoiding customs by using private docking ports with high-level sanctions that are given pre-approved clearance from L1 customs. I know for a fact that one of those ports is the private Peacecraft port."

Noin sucked in a breath. "How do you know this?"

"Duo witnessed a cargo shuttle docked at the Peacecraft port when he smuggled himself onto the colony."

Noin shook her head. "He could be lying or have an ulterior motive in telling you that. The Peacecrafts refused the UNDIS's call for help and chose to remain neutral until the assassination of Heero Yuy…"

"No," Heero refuted stubbornly. "He didn't even realize that the port belonged Peacecrafts and he wasn't aware of the smuggling scheme. He just stumbled upon it when he was trying to scavenge something to eat."

"Fine," Noin sighed. "Send me a report but make sure you double the encryption and don't mention our 'guest' in your report. Security is compromised for the time-being while we're relocating Nataku's servers. According to Chang's last report, she's only at 40% capacity."

Heero nodded.

"In the mean time," Noin continued, "you're on call while we locate a new permanent base of operation. Quatre has arranged a temporary location for now but we're keeping its use to a minimum."

"Understood," Heero nodded before glancing at the container he clutched in his hand. "I have to go feed Duo now," he stated before marching off in the direction he came.

"Wait Heero," Noin called after him. "Sally has some medical supplies she wants you to take home with you. She believes that our 'guest' is ready for the second phase of his treatment."

Heero halted briefly. "I will pick them up on my way home," he replied before altering his course and continuing down a different tunnel.

"Feed Duo?" Howard muttered. "He better not be treating that boy like some kind of exotic pet or captive…"

"Which is exactly what he is," Noin snapped.

Howard fixed her with a disapproving look. "I know you're under a lot of pressure right now _Commander_," Howard scolded her gently. "And I know Duo's is a variable we know very little about. But we made a deal remember? I get even an inkling that Duo's not being treated right and he gets taken into the Sweepers faster than you can blink an eye. And don't think I don't have the resources to pull it off!"

"Don't worry Howard," Trowa interjected quietly. "Heero is taking good care of Duo. And I think Duo will be good for him, he'll give Heero something to focus on."

Noin glanced sharply at Trowa. "You mean like how Quatre grounds you?"

Trowa didn't respond although his lips twitched slightly upwards. Pushing himself off the wall he was leaning against, he raised a hand in salute before making his way back along the darkened tunnel. "Quatre's shuttle to L4 leaves in an hour. I'll start tracking down leads there."

* * *

><p>"You have very interesting taste in weaponry Maxwell," Wufei commented.<p>

Duo cocked his head to the side in question, waiting for Wufei to elaborate.

"Your bullets and your knives, they were coated in cobalt. It's an odd choice of metal to use…"

"It makes a strong alloy."

"Not the strongest though, and it's quite a rare metal."

Duo shrugged. "I honestly don't know… I've always used cobalt. I guess I just like the colour… a personal quirk you could say. I know you have my knives but how do you know about the bullets?"

"We extracted them from the bodies of the scientists in the lab on L2."

"Oh."

"We also found one of your bullets in the Krushrenada Gardens, with your blood on it."

Duo went eerily still.

"It was how we discovered you were on L1. Tell me, exactly what happened that night?"

Duo remained silent, a haunted look on his face.

Wufei studied Duo's still countenance for a few moments, debating his next move. Sensing that he was about to learn something crucial, he decided to push forward and jog Duo's memory.

"You were witnessed by two Preventers agents that night."

Duo still refused to speak, his eyes glazed over and vacant.

"They were rookies and inexperienced; they were not even supposed to be on patrol. But even so, they were frightened beyond reason by whatever it was that they witnessed." Wufei watched Duo closely for any reaction. "They claimed that they saw two 'monsters' attack you." Wufei paused. "Complete with claws and fangs…?" Wufei prodded.

"How did they describe me?" Duo finally broke his silence.

Wufei cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "They said you had a tail," he muttered uncomfortably.

Duo's jaw dropped open in surprise before he dissolved into laughter. "Oh!" he gasped between laughs. "A tail?" He tugged at his braid. "I guess that makes me a monster too!" he chuckled. "Maybe even a demon? They have tails, don't they?" he howled, clutching his stomach. "Shinigami's still got it!"

"Get a hold of yourself Maxwell," Wufei cautioned. "Snap out of it Maxwell!" he ordered sharply when Duo continued to cackle and snort hysterically.

"What?" Duo grumbled after he calmed down a little. "You gotta admit it's funny."

"Even so," Wufei countered, trying to get the conversation back on track, "There must have been something unusual about the men who attacked you. All Preventers agents are-"

"They weren't men," Duo cut him off. "Your agents had it right. And yes, they were 'monsters', complete with fangs and claws."

"You can't seriously expect me to-" Wufei began, only to be interrupted by Duo once again.

"How's the decryption of the files from the L2 lab coming?"

"What? How do you know about that?"

"Lucky guess?" Duo shrugged before elaborating at Wufei's skeptical look. "Alright, you got me. I know you found the lab. If you found the lab, you found the computers. Now, Preventers being investigative agents, you would have downloaded the data. Except the data's heavily encrypted and you're still trying to decrypt it."

Wufei raised a finely arched brow. "What makes you think we haven't finished decrypting the data?"

Duo gestured at the tablet in Wufei's hand. "Because, you keep checking the status of the decryption," Duo smirked. "And yes, I can read code upside down."

"Yes, well, Nataku's servers are in the process of being relocated and it's a nasty bit of encryption. Far more sophisticated than most of the S.A. drivel I've dealt with in the past."

"Thank you," Duo replied.

Wufei stared at him, wondering when he had lost total control of the interview. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's a three part encryption that replicates itself and re-encrypts as you decrypt it right?"

"Yes," Wufei answered. "But how do you know that?"

"I wrote it."

"You what?" Wufei exclaimed.

"Is Nataku your computer?" Duo asked, ignoring Wufei's flabbergasted expression. "She must be very powerful," Duo mused, touching his fingertips together. "And you must be very cautious, not to mention patient," Duo remarked. "I like that. Those are good qualities to have."

"I don't follow. And why would you encrypt the S.A. files? What could you possibly hope to gain from doing that? Why not just delete the data? Is there something in those files that is of value to you?"

Duo didn't answer Wufei's questions directly. "The encryption, it rewrites itself as you decode it. Except there's a small lag before it re-encrypts."

"Yes," Wufei admitted begrudgingly. "It takes time but the decryption will ultimately overtake the re-encrypting."

"Exactly," Duo agreed. "But most people aren't that patient. They take shortcuts. They divert processing power from other processes, and the processes that take up the most juice are-"

"The firewalls." Wufei finished grimly. "You set a trap! What could you hope to gain by infecting Nataku with a virus?" Wufei stood from his seat to glare down at Duo.

"Hey! Chill man!" Duo raised his hands in surrender, shrinking back against the couch cushions. "I wasn't targeting you. And like I just said, you were too prudent to fall for my trap!"

"Then who was if for?"

"The S.A., who else?" Duo retorted. "Would you sit down? I don't like people hovering over me."

Wufei took a deep breath before resuming his seat. "I apologize. I am rather protective of Nataku. Please continue."

Duo shrugged. "Not much else to tell. It was my final "Fuck You" to the S.A. before I died. The head honchos may not have been on L2, but I wasn't gonna let them get away like that… not without a fight."

"So you encrypted and laid a trap in the S.A. lab's files? But why?"

"The S.A. was pretty heavily fragmented by the end. They cut lines of communication to minimize knowledge, in case they got raided or captured by you guys. Besides, next to no one knew about that lab. But the head honchos did. I knew they'd come fishing for that data sooner or later."

"And did they?"

"Naw, but they did send a communication. After I tried to blow up the colony and failed. They thought the scientists were still alive. They wanted to arrange a meet to discuss the 'findings'. That's why I came to L1…"

"And the meet was in the Krushrenada Gardens?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah… except I got ambushed."

"By monsters."

"Didn't I just say so?"

Wufei sighed. "Are the encrypted files even real? Or did you delete the original files?"

Duo set his mouth in a grim line. "No, they're real," he said sombrely. "No matter how gruesome they were… I just couldn't delete them. Even though I should have…"

Wufei pinched the bridge of his nose, willing away his headache. "I'll be blunt Maxwell. That makes no logical sense. You were going to blow up the colony, the data would never have survived. Why keep it and risk the possibility of someone being able to decrypt the files?"

"I couldn't erase Solo's existence like that… with just a few simple key strokes. It just didn't seem right."

Getting even more confused by Duo's cryptic answers, Wufei decided to return to a more tangible subject. "Is it possible to break the encryption cycle early and access the files without exposing Nataku to a cyber attack?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah… there's a kill code. I wrote it in just in case… The pass code is 'Death makes us all Equal'. It'll stop the re-encryption and quarantine the virus. The files will be there, unaltered."

Wufei tapped a few commands into his tablet. "Thank you. I'll see to it later. I've halted Nataku's decryption process for now. But if you've-"

"I don't lie. But if you don't believe me, isolate the files and build a firewall around them. Then use the code. You should know that."

Wufei tamped down on his irritation. "Very well. And the men who attacked you?" he tried once more.

"It's all in the files."

"The ambush? Then why did you-"

"Once you see the files, you'll understand. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Warn me? About what?"

Duo stared of the window at the darkening sky. "Like I said. You'll understand it all once you see the files. I'm done talking."

Wufei sighed deeply as he tapped a final few commands into his tablet. "It's been a tiring day. I appreciate your cooperation." Standing, he gestured at Duo to stand as well. "Come, let us stretch our legs a bit."

Duo looked up in surprise. "We're going out?" he asked with a small bit of trepidation mixed with hope.

"Not quite," Wufei answered enigmatically, making his way towards the door.

* * *

><p>"And that's the last of it." Quatre sighed as he watched Rashid's burly figure carry a crate into the docked shuttle.<p>

Trowa watched silently from where he stood slightly behind Quatre.

"So the smugglers have been using the private ports?" Quatre asked his silent shadow.

"Yes."

"Are we going to shut down the ports?"

"No," Trowa replied quietly. "We'll put them under surveillance. We don't want to spook them."

The young Winner heir nodded. "And I suppose we can't afford to lose the use of the Winner port." His soft blue eyes studied the interior of his shuttle where Rashid was busy verifying the cargo, much of it evidence and personal belongings smuggled out of the basement level of the Preventers.

Trowa didn't even blink when Quatre suddenly whirled to face him. "You knew Heero was going to make Duo his companion, didn't you?" Quatre accused.

Trowa nodded imperceptibly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Quatre demanded. "I had a right to know!"

"It was merely a suspicion. And it was not my place to tell."

Quatre scowled. "I'll never understand you and Heero. Always keeping the rest of us in the dark! We're supposed to work together! You promised me Trowa, no more secrets!"

Trowa stood quietly, his head bowed and solemn.

Quatre took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Trowa. I shouldn't have gotten upset like that. It's just that sometimes I feel so disconnected from you both! Like I never really know what's going on with you two!"

"We've shared our pasts with you," Trowa offered quietly. "You know our most vulnerable secrets…"

Quatre sighed. "I know. It's just… never mind… forget I said anything. I'm tired and I'm letting my frustrations get the best of me."

Trowa titled his head to the side. "Is it whatever Dorothy said to you earlier?"

"Yes," Quatre sighed heavily. "She's got her sights set on usurping Katarina from power. For what, I don't know yet."

"She was toying with Noin as well." Trowa commented. "I'll see what I can find out."

Quatre nodded sombrely. "Be careful Trowa. Something about her… seems wrong. I don't know how to explain it… and it's not the fact that she makes no pretenses of having an ulterior motive, whatever it may be… but something just seems… 'off' about her." Quatre sighed again. "I just can't put my finger on it… but I know it's there!" he insisted.

"I know," Trowa soothed. "You can puzzle it out later, I have faith in you."

"You're patronizing me," Quatre pouted.

"Yes," Trowa agreed, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Fine," Quatre grumbled good-naturedly. "You know the location of our temporary base of operations?"

Trowa inclined his head.

"It's all set up for now. Pass codes are our old war codes."

"I remember."

"And tell Wufei that we treated Nataku with outmost respect when we moved her."

"I will."

"And tell Noin I'll report once I've set up a new secure line on L4."

"Of course."

"You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Patronizing me!"

Another smile. "Get some rest while you're on L4 Quatre."

Quatre sighed. "I will. Don't do anything reckless while I'm gone."

"I'll try not to."

Quatre glared, his mouth set in a firm line.

"It's all I can promise, you know that."

"All too well," Quatre replied tersely, directing a weak glare at Trowa. "At least be careful…"

"Always."

"Mastre Quatre, we must be going now!" Rashid called from the docked shuttle. "We are launching in three minutes.

Quatre threw his arms around Trowa in a quick hug. "Don't let _Pierrot_ take over," he whispered before walking quickly to the shuttle, refusing to look back over his shoulder at his companion.

"Never," Trowa replied softly as he watched the shuttle door close behind the blonde figure. "Never so long as you are with me…"

* * *

><p>Heero made his way swiftly down the hall, take-out container in one hand and a large duffle in the other. Setting down the duffle when he reached his door, he swiped his card and thumbprint to unlock the door. He picked up the duffle only to drop it in shock when he entered the empty apartment. Tossing the take-out container on the counter, he wrenched open the bathroom door and then the closet. Finding neither Duo nor Wufei, his eyes scanned over the small apartment, noting that Wufei's duffle and tablet were still in the apartment.<p>

"Call Duo," Heero commanded as he pulled out his comm unit. His comm unit blinked to life and soon he heard a faint buzzing emanating from the blanket draped haphazardly on the couch. Digging into its folds, he located Duo's comm unit. With a snarl, he disconnected the line.

"Call Chang," he growled and was rewarded when the line connected.

"Chang here," Wufei's voice emanated from both the comm unit and the hallway.

Heero stalked to the open door to confront a startled Wufei and Duo. With a near-silent growl he yanked the two stunned men into the apartment before slamming the door shut.

"Where were you!" Heero demanded.

"Calm down Yuy," Wufei urged, placing himself between Duo and the irate Heero.

"Where did you take him!" Heero demanded again.

"To the laundry room. We-"

"Why?" Heero snapped before Wufei could finish.

"To do laundry of course," Wufei commented dryly, pointing to a canvas bag by his feet.

Heero stared at the bag as though he'd never seen a laundry bag before.

Wufei cleared his throat. "You seemed very concerned about doing your laundry this morning," he reminded Heero.

Heero glared. "Why were you doing my laundry?"

Wufei shrugged. "Duo and I had a very draining day today. I thought it would be good to have a little change of scenery, and Duo could use a little light exercise."

"You weren't supposed to leave!"

"I apologize Yuy. I did not realize you would be home so soon. And we didn't leave the building, we merely went downstairs."

"Did anyone see you?"

"No," Wufei replied patiently. "And even if they did, no would think anything of it. As you yourself pointed out when you first moved here, there are close to a thousand tenants in this building. It is not uncommon to encounter strangers."

Heero didn't reply but clenched his jaw stubbornly. "You still shouldn't have left the apartment," he repeated after a brief glaring contest with Wufei.

"You can't expect to keep him locked in here forever Yuy," Wufei warned as he retrieved his duffle and tablet. "Now that you're back, I can go attend to Nataku. Have a good evening Maxwell." And with a slight bow of his head he was gone, leaving Duo alone with Heero.

"I'm sorry," Duo spoke as he edged his way around Heero to take up his place on the couch. "I didn't realize I was a prisoner here," he grumbled.

Heero bent to retrieve the laundry bag and began to put its contents away.

Duo scowled as he watched him work, his irritation growing. Logically he knew he was still technically a 'captive'. Still, it frustrated him that he had no real control over his life anymore. Heero's next words, however, helped to take the sting out of his current situation.

"I was worried."

Heero's back was turned so Duo couldn't see the expression on his face, but he could tell from Heero's stiff movements how uncomfortable he was, just by disclosing those three simple words.

And it had been a long time since anyone had worried about his safety. A very long time…

"I brought dinner," Heero changed the subject. He opened the take-out container and the room was immediately filled with the fragrant aroma roasted meat and herbs.

"What is that?" Duo asked, scrambling off the couch peer at the contents of the take-out container. "Is that meat?" he exclaimed. "Real meat? Not the soya substitute?"

Heero nodded brusquely as he transferred the meal onto a plate and placed it in the heating unit. While the food heated, he opened a drawer and retrieved a knife and fork but frowned at the blunt edge of the butter knife. Tossing the blunt knife back into the drawer, he pressed his thumbprint to a locked drawer and retrieved a sharp looking blade. The heating unit beeped and Heero placed the steaming plate, fork and hunting knife on in front of Duo.

Duo picked up the wicked-looking six-inch blade and waved it at Heero. "A little excessive don't ya think?"

"I have no steak knives. The butter knife is unsuitable for cutting meat."

"I'll say," Duo remarked. "Aren't you afraid I'm going to stab you with this or something?"

"Should I be?" Heero replied blandly.

"Cocky bastard," Duo muttered as he studied his plate and his mouth watered at the sight that greeted him. Thick slices of meat, steamed broccoli, carrots and a dinner roll sat in front of him, the smell of herbs overwhelming his senses. Just as he was about to dig in, he glanced over at Heero who now sat at his desk, scrolling through a report on his computer. And next to his computer was an energy gel pack.

"Have you eaten yet?" Duo asked.

Heero glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "No."

"Oh." Duo turned back to his meal and stared at it before making up his mind and grabbing another plate. Carefully, he divvied up the meal into equal halves.

"_I dun wanna! Sister Helen gave them to ME," the scraggly haired kid yelled, clutching two brightly wrapped candies to his chest. "Why I gotta give one to Scabs?"_

_Solo crouched down in front of the child, motioning him to come closer. "What have I told you about calling him Scabs?" he queried softly. _

_The child in front of him pouted. "But he's covered in 'em. An' he keeps scratching at them too! It's gross!"_

_Solo sighed softly. "He's got eczema. I told you about it remember? It's a genetic skin condition and it's not contagious. He can't help it squirt."_

_The brown-haired boy bowed his head and squirmed. "I know he's got eggs.. egssma," he muttered petulantly before raising his head to meet Solo's gaze. "But he called me girly! I'm not a girl, I'm a man!" he declared, thrusting his chest out, candies clenched in his grubby fists._

"_Not yet you aren't squirt," Solo chuckled as he ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "But if you want to be a real man, you can start by becoming his friend instead of calling him names."_

_The little boy frowned. "I dun trust 'im! Ya always say that real friends are people ya can trust!"_

_Solo sighed and ran a hand through his tousled blonde locks. "Damn kid remembers every damn thing I tell him," he muttered under his breath. _

"_Hey!" the small boy cried. _

"_Relax squirt," Solo smiled, "I was calling you smart. Now, listen up squirt. Trust is a two way street and it takes time and effort to build. Dill isn't going to trust you anymore than you trust him. But you can start by sharing your candy with him. And you know what? Food always tastes better if you've got someone to share it with." _

_The small child eyed Solo skeptically before nodding once and turning and walking towards the other small boy sitting in the corner of the room, busily scratching at his arm. _

"_Solo says yer not supposed to scratch," he grumbled. _

_The other boy stopped for moment before he glared and continued to scratch at his rash-covered arm._

_The child took a deep breath and thrust out a small grubby hand. "Here, Sister Helen gave me two. You can have this one," he announced, waving the candy in front of the other boy's face._

_The other boy stared at him before snatching the candy from his grasp and examining the brightly coloured foil wrapped with wide hazel eyes. After a brief second of disbelief, he tore the foil off the candy and popped it into his mouth. _

_The brown-haired boy unwrapped his own candy and sat next to the other boy. "Sorry I called ya Scabs," he muttered before popping the candy into his mouth._

"_I'm sorry I called ya a girl…" the hazel-eyed boy offered hesitantly. "Thanks… I never had candy this good before."_

_The brown-haired boy nodded in agreement, his violet eyes tracking to where Solo leaned against the doorjamb, a gentle smile on his pale face._

_Solo was right. This was the best tasting candy he had ever had in his short life. _

"Come eat," Duo commanded as he set two plates down on the low-standing coffee table. Grabbing the cutlery from the countertop, he took a seat in front of one of the plates.

"I already have dinner," Heero replied, holding up his gel pack.

"That's not dinner. In fact, I'm betting that this was originally _your_ dinner."

"I brought it home to feed you."

"Feed me?" Duo grumbled. "Seriously? Ugh, never mind. Just eat ok? Or else I won't."

Heero studied Duo for a long moment before nodding slowly and sitting across from Duo on the floor.

Duo grinned and took his first bite of meat, eyes closed in ecstasy as the juicy morsel melted on his tongue. "So good!" he moaned around his mouthful.

Heero could only swallow as he watched the blissful expression Duo's face.

"Always tastes better when you share a meal doesn't it?" Duo asked as his wide violet eyes opened and he fastened Heero with a stare before taking another bite.

Heero dropped his own eyes to his plate and nodded as he quickly took a bite. He could barely taste the food but just from watching Duo enjoy his dinner, he knew that it was the best meal that he had ever had in his entire life.

* * *

><p>Wufei walked sedately along the cobblestone streets, his pace steady and unhurried to avoid unwanted attention. He quietly scanned his surroundings from behind the tinted lenses that hid his bruised eyes, his sharp eyes missing no detail. No one noticed him as he smoothly rounded a corner and ducked into a back alleyway. Making his way down the narrow passageway, he made several sharp turns until he reached the back entrance of a nondescript building. Without breaking his stride, he dropped his duffle to the ground and pulled his gun in one smooth motion, training the muzzle on a figure crouched on the building's flat rooftop.<p>

"Are you trying to get yourself shot Barton?" he growled after a moment.

Trowa leapt from the roof and landed softly next to Wufei. "Just setting the last of the perimeter alarms."

Wufei grunted in reply before keying in the code to the double doors and striding inside, duffle in hand.

"I wasn't expecting you tonight," Trowa commented. "Are you worried about Nataku?"

"Yes," Wufei replied. "I also believe that I may be able to finish decrypting the L2 lab's files by early morning." He walked swiftly to where Nataku sat in the open warehouse and began typing in commands. "Is this one of the Winner warehouses?" he asked distractedly.

"Yes, we won't be able to stay long but it should serve our needs until we find a more permanent solution," Trowa answered, watching Nataku's screens over Wufei's shoulder. "You're isolating the files," he remarked. "Have you uncovered a pass code?"

"Perhaps," Wufei spoke grimly, entering a last few commands. "Either we are able to finally access the files tonight, or we can conclude that Duo is working against us."

"Duo gave you the pass code?" Trowa observed in surprise.

"He claims to have written the triple encryption program."

"But why would he encrypt the S.A.'s files?" Trowa wondered.

"That's what we're about to find out," Wufei answered as he entered the pass code.

"_Death makes us all Equal_," Trowa read aloud before Nataku's screens exploded into endless streams of code.

Wufei let out a sigh of relief. "So he spoke the truth after all. It should only take a few hours now," he remarked, watching as Nataku began to rapidly decrypt the files with no interference from the re-encryption program.

Several hours later Nataku beeped, signaling the end of the decryption process. Rousing himself from his light doze, Trowa walked over to study the myriad of date-stamped folders on the screen. "We should start with the most recent files," he recommended.

Wufei nodded as he opened the most recent files and his face promptly lost all colour. "He wasn't lying," he choked out in horror. "They really were monsters…"

Behind him, Trowa had also gone deathly white as he stared in shock at the images on the screen. "We need to call Noin…"

"Now I think I understand," Wufei uttered quietly.

"Understand what?" Trowa demanded, his single eye still glued to the screens, unable to look away from the gruesome photos.

Wufei pointed to the filename on one of the photos.

Trowa's eye widened in horror.

"_Solo_"

* * *

><p>"Would you put that thing away already?" a voice growled in the dark.<p>

Metallic fingers clinked against the gun's polished metal. "Why?" another voice rasped in a singsong tone. "It belonged to pretty! Pretty pretty has pretty things!"

Sharp teeth gnashed and glinted. "Enough with the 'pretty'. We have a new mission. Let's go."

"Pretty…" the singsong voice rasped one more time before the gun disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So.. this chapter is a bit on the longer side. This chapter just wouldn't leave me alone until I finished writing it.. and now my exams are going to suffer. Ugh.<br>Anyways, veeeery important chapter! Lots of little details that will be crucial to the future storyline so be sure to read carefully!_

_And thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews! It's super motivating and the feedback helps me shape this story and fill in gaps and flesh out details.  
>Hopefully the next update will be up before Christmas. And now to start studying... .<em>


	18. Episode Seventeen: Reborn

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Seventeen: Reborn <em>_(January 10, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Noin turned away and fought down the bile rising in her throat. "They were trying to create Bionics? I thought those efforts had been abandoned years ago!"<p>

"Someone thought it was worth pursuing again," Wufei commented in disgust.

"By using the UNDIS as human test subjects," Noin growled. "Now we know why the lab was located below the prisons. Easy access to test subjects."

"Not just the prisoners," Wufei gritted out. "They were using the _Reborn_ as well."

Noin kept her back to Nataku's screens and leaned heavily against one of the large storage containers doubling as an impromptu desk, her palms flat against the thick metal. "I don't even want to ask but…"

"They were successful," Trowa answered quietly.

"Because they were able to experiment on humans?"

"Partly."

Noin turned to face Trowa, her face ashen. "There's more?"

Trowa remained silent and Wufei answered in his stead. "They managed to create a Gundanium alloy that resisted rejection from the body."

"Gundanium?" Noin inhaled sharply, turning a shade paler.

"Not quite the same alloy mix as we use in our body armour or ships, it's a slightly weaker alloy to minimize damage to the body but…"

"Still strong enough to create a deadly Bionic soldier," Noin finished. "How many were created?"

"According to the records, 358 UNDIS, 187 Reborn were experimented on. 469 of those ended in failures, 59 were partial successes but the subjects died within one to four weeks after Gundanium transplantation. 17 were recorded as successful but were ultimately terminated."

Noin remained silent, torn between horror and relief. "So none survived?" she asked quietly.

Wufei nodded but exchanged an uneasy look with Trowa before continuing. "Affirmative. However, we also discovered fragmented records of communications sent to another lab."

"Were you able to retrieve them?"

"Nataku's still working on it but it's doubtful that we'll get much, they took great care to erase all traces of the messages."

"We were able to discover that the other lab was located in the _Liberators_ stronghold on one of L2's satellites," Trowa added quietly.

Noin inhaled sharply. "You think they were sending the results of their research?"

The two men nodded somberly.

"So it's possible that they had begun creating bionics out of the Advantaged?" Noin deduced.

"Yes," Wufei replied wearily, "we also believe that the two 'monsters' that attacked Maxwell in the Kushrenada Gardens were Bionics."

Noin turned back to Nataku's screens swallowed audibly. "They would fit the description those rookies gave…" She pulled out her comm unit and began dialing, "We need to bring the UNDIS here and find out all he knows."

She was stopped by Trowa's hand gently removing the comm unit from her grasp. "It's three in the morning. It can wait a few hours. I'll contact Heero at a more reasonable hour and we'll arrange to bring him here or have Wufei pay another visit. Go home, get some rest and we'll start again in afternoon."

Noin pulled herself to her full height and glared at Trowa. "Last time I checked, I was the Commander, not the other way around."

Trowa shrugged, a small smile playing on his mouth. "For the Preventers yes, but our team has no leader. The Gundam Ten are all equals, we each contribute according to our strengths."

"But if what we suspect is true and we have two, if not more Bionic soldiers working for the S.A., we need all the intelligence we can get our hands on!"

Wufei sighed and rose from his seat in front of Nataku's screens. "I pushed Maxwell to his limit yesterday. He's been cooperative so far, but waking him up and dragging him down here would likely cause him to turn on us." He picked up his duffle and turned to Trowa. "Nataku will keep piecing together the transmissions sent from the lab to the stronghold to try and recover some of the data. There are some matters I need to attend to, can you monitor Nataku's progress during my absence?"

Trowa nodded curtly. "Of course. I highly doubt the S.A. was able to create many Bionic soldiers before we were able to gain control of L2 and L3. The S.A. won't use them openly unless absolutely necessary."

Noin's shoulders slump. "You're both right. We don't want to estrange the UNDIS."

"Or Heero," Trowa commented quietly.

"Or Heero," Noin grumbled. "Alright fine, I'll head back to headquarters – after I get some rest – " she grumbled when both agents gave her a disapproving look, "and I'll track down those two rookies and see if they've managed to remember anything else about the incident."

"It's settled then," Wufei stated as he began usher Noin towards the door. "I'll escort you home." Behind him Trowa chuckled softly as he settled himself in Wufei's chair, languidly stretching out his long limbs as he watched his two teammates exit the warehouse.

"I'm perfectly capable of seeing myself home!" Noin snapped as she was herded out the door.

"Of course," Wufei replied good-naturedly. "I'm just making sure you don't slip back to headquarters."

"Oh hell, am I that easy to read?" Noin groused.

"No," Wufei smirked lightly. "It's what any of us would have done."

Noin smiled tiredly. "How diplomatic of you Chang, here I was thinking that you were going call me a weak-willed woman."

"And risk a tongue lashing from Sally? Women are terrible gossips…" he smoothly ducked a half-hearted swipe from Noin. "… not to mention are not my equal in hand-to-hand…" he side-stepped a more serious punch and dodged a kick aimed at the softer parts of his anatomy. "Temper, temper!" he chided.

"You chauvinistic…!" Noin began until she saw the wide grin on Wufei's face and realized that she was about to start a brawl on a deserted street in the middle of the night. She dropped her fighting stance chuckled to herself. "You baited me on purpose, didn't you?"

Wufei resumed his trek, Noin falling into step beside him. "You shouldn't try so hard to fill his shoes," he stated softly.

Noin tensed. "Are you telling me I can't take his place?"

"Not if you keep doubting yourself, no."

"But he made it seem so easy, it came so naturally to him." Noin sighed wearily.

"Perhaps, but that was his strength. Stop trying to emulate him, stick to what you do best."

"What I do best?"

"Slapping snivelling idiot rookies into line and molding them into somewhat capable soldiers."

"I train highly accomplished soldiers I'll have you know!" Noin growled.

Wufei inclined his head ever so slightly. "Didn't I just say so?"

"You're insufferable," Noin bit her lip, hesitating. "Promise not to tell Sally of my little meltdown?" she pleaded after a moment.

Wufei glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before declaring mockingly, "I'm not a gossip!"

"Chauvinist!" Noin retorted with a grin as she realized that Wufei had expertly steered her away from headquarters and towards her apartment.

* * *

><p>Duo stared up at the plain white ceiling while the mat below his prone body continued to hum at a low frequency. Heero had shaken him awake this morning and had shoved a breakfast of dry protein rations at him before unrolling the strange electrical mat and insisting that he lie down on it. Apparently it was some sort of medical mat that stimulated bone growth. He shifted uncomfortably from his place on the floor and turned his head to look up at where Heero was sitting stiff-backed at his desk. Heero had been gruff and tense all morning, more so than he had been in the few days Duo had known him.<p>

'Wufei must have been able to decode all of the data from the L2 lab,' he thought to himself. "That 'Nataku' of his must have one hell of a processor…'

He tried to push thoughts of the lab on L2 out of his mind. If the data had all been decoded, it would only be a matter of time before he was questioned – or even interrogated – further on his knowledge of the lab.

'Most likely Wufei, or maybe Quatre. No wait, Wufei said Quatre had gone to L4…" He glanced again at Heero's back. "Not Heero, he doesn't seem the talking type. I don't think he's spoken more than two sentences at a time to me…"

His neck muscles soon began to cramp from his awkward position so he rolled his head the other way to study Heero's small apartment. His eyes traveled over the small kitchen, the single couch, armchair and low lying coffee table. His eyes continued to travel over to the wardrobe, sturdy chest and single bed when he suddenly realized that there was only one bed in the apartment. His eyes snapped back to the small living space and he took notice of the small folded blanket and pillow at the end of the couch.

'So that's where he's sleeping,' he mused to himself. 'Looks cramped.'

Despite his stiff muscles, he turned his head to once again gaze at Heero's back. He'd never seen Heero sleep, yet the other man didn't look fatigued in any way. He made a mental note to look for any signs of weariness next time Heero turned around.

He straightened his neck and closed his eyes, keeping his ears open for any movement or shift in Heero's position. For almost an hour Heero remained immobile at his desk, the silence only interrupted intermittently by the sounds of typing. Just as Duo was about to be lulled back to sleep the mat below him beeped and the vibrations stopped. Before he realized what had happened, he opened his eyes to find Heero crouching next to him, carefully studying the small monitor embedded in the corner of the mat.

"The readings are good. You've gained 1.8% bone density during this treatment."

"1.8%! Yipee!" Duo commented sarcastically. "What's the point of fixing me up? I was flawed to start with anyways."

Heero made no comment, he merely took out his comm unit and typed in a quick message.

Duo watched him for several moments before shifting to push himself upright but fell back with a pained gasp when his stiffened spine refused to bend. "Fuck!" he swore softly under his breath.

"Turn over," Heero instructed, reappearing at Duo's side.

"What?" Duo gaped at him.

"It's a common side-effect for joints and vertebrae to become misaligned during bone fortifying treatment. The side-effects can be easily rectified through manual manipulation."

"Manual what?" Duo glared, refusing to budge. Turning over would leave his back exposed and vulnerable. Despite knowing that he was no match for Heero, it went against everything he knew to purposely put himself in such a vulnerable position.

"Look I don't know what you-" he was cut off when Heero flipped him over and began briskly running callused fingers down Duo's spine.

"Hey!" Duo exclaimed, struggling to turn back over. A sharp downward jab on his spine pushed him back down with an audible crack. "Oh…" he breathed as he felt the pressure alleviate as his vertebrae slid back into place. By the time he registered what had happened, Heero was back at his desk, busily scrolling through something on his computer.

Duo flipped himself back over and sat up, frowning at Heero's back.

'I just don't understand this guy,' he thought to himself.

* * *

><p>Noin carefully inhaled the rich aroma swirling from her cup of coffee. Inhaling once more before taking a careful sip, she leaned back in her chair, savouring her small moment of peace.<p>

A tentative knock interrupted her silent reverie. She opened her eyes to see her assistant hesitantly peeking into her office. Obviously the woman had caught on to her foul mood this morning. She smiled wearily and motioned for her assistant to enter.

"What is it Helena?"

"Here are the files you asked for ma'am" The petite brunette placed a stack of folders on her desk. "And about the two agents you asked me to call…"

Noin put down her coffee and picked up the topmost file. "Wallins and Anderson. Have you called them to my office?"

"Neither of them reported to work today."

"Neither of them? Did they call in sick?" Noin demanded.

"No… I called both of them at home and there was no answer from either of them."

Noin slapped the file back on her desk and pulled up the agents' work records on her tablet. "Hmm… they've reported to work every day since the incident…"

"Ma'am?"

"This doesn't feel right. One of them not showing for work is plausible, but neither of them showing up for work can't be a coincidence. I want agents sent to their residences."

"Yes ma'am!" Helena scurried towards her desk outside of Noin's office.

* * *

><p>"So that's what the lab was for…" Quatre muttered in disbelief. "Is this all the intel we have?"<p>

"Wufei has Nataku tracing some deleted transmission but she hasn't been able to piece together much yet," Trowa replied softly, gazing up to where Quatre's shocked face was projected on one of Nataku's screens.

"What about Duo? Has Wufei talked to Duo again?"

"No, Wufei doesn't want to push Duo too hard. He said that Duo shut down at the end, and considering where they left off last night…"

"We need to be careful of how we proceed." Quatre finished sombrely. "So you really believe that the 'monsters' who ambushed Duo were bionics? Advantaged bionics?"

Trowa nodded, his single visible eye glinting from the light of the array of screens. "I still can't figure out why they resorted to creating Bionics. Resources were low, the populace was turning against them… why would they risk so much for a project that for all accounts should have ended in failure?"

Quatre remained quiet for several long minutes, a faraway look in his eyes. "There's only one reason I can think of, and I don't think you're going to like it…" He took a sip of his tea before focusing on his companion through the screen. "I think we may have pushed them to it."

Trowa raised a brow. "We did?"

Quatre nodded. "Our scientists developed Gundanium. Once they were able to acquire a sample, the S.A.'s scientist must have seen its potential uses for building bionics. Add to the fact that we weren't regular soldiers. We didn't follow the soldier's code, we used guerilla tactics. Tactics 101, you fight fire with fire. In order to counter-act our team, they needed enhanced soldiers. Trowa we-"

"Don't think like that," Trowa interrupted gently. "What the S.A. did is on them, not us."

Quatre bit his lower lip, his gaze troubled. "Every action has countless repercussions. We caused this Trowa, we can't ignore it."

* * *

><p>Wufei moved sedately down the row of potted herbs on his workbench. Armed with a spray bottle and wicked looking clippers, he carefully examined each plant, efficiently spritzing and clipping when necessary. His quiet and methodical labours were suddenly interrupted by the harsh beeping of his comm unit. With a deep sigh he set down his tools and pulled his comm unit from his pocket. He frowned when he saw the caller.<p>

"Stubborn woman, already back at headquarters," he muttered to himself before answering. "Chang here."

"I need you to process two crime scenes ASAP. I'm sending the addresses to you now," Noin's tense face appeared on the small screen.

Wufei blinked. "Two?" Noin's image was replaced by two addresses. "Those addresses are in the Preventers housing block. What in the name of the colonies is going on?" he demanded as he began to make his way out of the small greenhouse and into a larger atrium filled with roses.

"Agents Wallins and Anderson were found dead in their apartments," Noin replied stone-faced.

"Who…?" Wufei wondered before exclaiming, "The rookies who witnessed Duo's ambush!"

"Yes. I need you to process both the scenes and gather as much evidence as you can before the regular agent investigators arrive. I've got the apartments cordoned off for now but I can't contain this forever…"

"I'm on my way," Wufei declared, hastening his stride.

"Good. Barton will meet you there." The screen went blank as Noin cut the connection.

Wufei sprinted down the path winding through the atrium, slowing as he neared a tall brunette woman carefully tending a crimson rosebush. She looked up at his approach, roses in hand, her soft brown eyes swimming with concern.

"Are you leaving already?"

Wufei bowed his head as he made his way past her. "I'm sorry Lady, duty calls. I will return soon."

He exited the greenhouse, pausing to set the alarm and lock the door, ensuring no entry in or out of the building.

* * *

><p>Duo swirled his juice around his mouth, trying to erase the bitter taste of his medication.<p>

"This juice is spiked isn't it?" he commented.

Heero glanced over from where he was rummaging through the kitchen cupboards.

"Yes."

"Ha! I knew it tasted too sweet," he muttered more to himself than Heero. "What's in them?"

"Vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements."

"No more mood enhancers and sedatives?"

Heero paused, box of dry rations in hand. "You knew?"

Duo shrugged. "Nah, I didn't figure it out until I got moved here. The taste of the juices changed. G would have ripped me a new one if he ever found out. Such a greenhorn slip-up... I got fooled by you drinking them. I still can't figure out how you separated the spiked from the non-spiked…"

"They're all spiked," Heero replied curtly, removing two ration packs from the box in his hand.

"What? But what about-"

Heero cut him off. "They don't affect me." He opened the mid-sized crate on the kitchen counter and removed two shiny, red and green apples. He placed a ration pack and apple in front of Duo who sat perched on kitchen stool across the counter from him. Ripping open his own ration pack, Heero pulled out a thin, flat cracker in well-practiced motions.

Duo followed suit, munching on his own crackers, quietly scrutinizing Heero from under his bangs. He saw no outward signs of fatigue. There were no dark circles under his eyes, his movements were strong and precise. The only change he could perceive was an increased tension in Heero's body language, as if he were waiting for something.

He dropped his gaze when Heero caught him staring and fiddled uncomfortably with his food. They ate in silence for several long minutes. The silence was nothing new, but it began to eat away at him. His rations consumed, he rolled his apple between his hands, casting about for something to talk about. The polished surface of the apple caught his eye, triggering a memory.

"Hey, are lil' mother and her pups still at the Preventers? Do you think we could bring them here?"

"No."

"No?" Duo looked up in question. "No they're not at Preventers or no they can't come here?"

"Both. They had to be moved out of headquarters. Unlicensed animals are not allowed in this building**.**"

Duo dropped his apple. "They weren't destroyed were they? Quatre promised he'd take good care of them!"

"He took them to L4. He'll find good homes for them."

"L4? They couldn't stay on L1?"

"No. Laws are much stricter here and Preventers is vulnerable right now. There are politicians that will use any excuse to discredit Noin and the organization."

"Self-serving bastards," Duo spat, his eyes once again roaming the small apartment, feeling very alone.

* * *

><p>Wufei crouched next to the body of Wallins, carefully examining the body for any clues. The young man lay peacefully in his bed, as if still asleep. The covers were undisturbed, there were no signs of a struggle. As far as he could tell, not a single item was out of place. If not for the small round wound on his left temple, he would have thought that the young agent had died in his sleep.<p>

"Did you find anything?" Trowa lounged in the open doorway, his expression dark and guarded.

"Nothing, it was like no one was here."

"Cause of death?"

"Single laser shot to the left temple. Clean, quick and efficient. Wallins never woke up. What about the other agent… Anderson was it?"

"Exsanguination. The body was literally ripped to shreds, the wounds looked like they were inflicted by claws. There were also bite marks, non-human."

"Non-human? How can you tell?"

"The canines were too deep, incisors were pointed, plus there were too many teeth."

"You think an animal killed her?"

"Not unless the animal was wearing body armour and boots," he held up a bag of compacted bullets. "She managed to get a few rounds off before she was incapacitated. I also found trace under her fingernails and bloody boot prints in her apartment. Based on the blood spatter and the boot prints, whoever killed her took their time, they were playing with her."

Wufei clenched his jaw. "Despicable…" His eyes widened in realization and he rose from his crouch next to the bed. "You think it was the Bionics?"

Trowa's lips thinned into a sober line and he nodded grimly. "The modifications made to the test subjects were simple strength enhancements… but based on the rookies' descriptions, it's possible that these Bionics were outfitted Gundanium claws and teeth, in addition to the enhanced limbs."

"But if Anderson fought back, why didn't anyone hear anything?"

"This entire apartment block is used to house rookies. All the rookies were out celebrating their third month in service last night."

Wufei cursed under his breath. "And Noin imposed curfews on both Anderson and Wallins for their patrol violations… It's no coincidence that they were killed tonight. The Bionics knew they would be alone tonight. But the discrepancies in the killing methods… either the girl knew or witnessed something and they were torturing her for information…"

"Or one of the killers is a psychopath," Trowa finished for him.

Both men turned towards the apartment's open doorway when they heard running footsteps and the loud exclamation of shocked voices. The sounds of shock melted into those of horrors and someone began to retch.

"Have you finished processing the apartment?" Trowa asked Wufei quietly.

"I've documented everything possible, there wasn't much to find."

Trowa nodded grimly. "We should get back to the warehouse and start processing the evidence. Noin won't be able to contain this for long."

"Agreed. We need to try and get ahead of this. The backlash could be crippling." Both men slipped quietly down the hallway and headed towards the exit. "Maxwell is the only lead we have left, we're going to have to question him again. Given what we know about the Bionics, I have doubts that he'll be willing to co-operate."

* * *

><p>Duo sat huddled in the armchair, his eyes glued the door to the apartment. Five minutes earlier, Heero's comm unit had gone off and Heero had left the apartment to take the call. He could hear Heero's voice in the hallway, deep and serious, but he couldn't make out any words. He shifted in his seat, once again considering going to the door to eavesdrop but knew in all likelihood that he would get caught.<p>

His anxiety building, he drew out his small black momento, nervously tracing the worn plastic for a moment before giving it a shake and reading the words that appeared on its small screen.

"_Unrepentant_ and_ Disdainful_," he read aloud. "That's not good, is it Solo?" he muttered softly.

His head snapped up and his little black box disappeared into his pocket when he heard Heero re-enter the apartment. His stomach dropped when he saw the thin line of Heero's mouth and the darkness in his eyes. Heero slowly made his way over to the couch and sat down stiffly, his posture rigid and his fists clenched tightly on his knees.

After several tense minutes, Heero broke the silence. "The two Preventer agents who witnessed your fight in the Krushrenada Gardens were both murdered last night."

Duo felt himself break out into a cold sweat.

Heero hesitated for a moment before continuing. "We need to know what happened that night, all the details. And… everything you know about the Bionics."

Duo pulled the blanket tighter around himself, refusing to answer.

Heero flipped open the cover of his tablet and established a connection with Nataku's network. "My colleagues report that one agent was killed by a single laser shot to the head, the other died from extensive claw and bite wounds."

"So? I didn't kill them and I don't know who did."

"The evidence points to the two 'men' who attacked you that night." Heero paused before pushing forward. "They were Bionics weren't they?"

"Wufei decrypted the lab's files didn't he? The answers should be in there," Duo answered curtly.

"None of the Bionics documented in the lab's files survived," Heero noticed Duo flinch at his statement. "And there is no record of modifications that would inflict the wounds on one of the dead agents."

Duo shrugged. "So?"

Heero carefully studied the data on his tablet and considered Duo's reaction. Duo had been attacked by the Bionics, it didn't make sense that he would be so reluctant to divulge what he had witnessed that night.

"You think the Bionics that attacked you were UNDIS…" Heero remarked. Duo paled, his eyes darting up to meet Heero's, a stricken expression on his face.

"They're not."

"They're not?" Duo whispered in shock.

"No, my colleagues don't think so. Chang discovered evidence of transmissions between the hidden lab and the S.A. _Liberators _stronghold. We think these Bionics were Advantaged."

"Advantaged?" Duo repeated numbly. "Are you sure?"

Heero nodded firmly, "Chang is rarely wrong in his deductions. He is… very insightful." He waited a few moments to let Duo absorb the information before continuing. "We need to try and find these Bionics before they kill again. Can you describe them?"

Duo fidgeted with the edge of his blanket. "I didn't get a real good look at them… it was dark and I was busy trying not to get killed..." He took a deep breath, calming himself. "They were both tall… I'd say a little over six feet. They were both wearing long capes, dark… to hide their… 'modifications'."

"Did you see their 'modifications'?" Heero asked quietly, carefully recording Duo's answers into his tablet.

"I couldn't see them all…" Duo began quietly, carefully searching his memory for details from that night. "The first one… his mouth, his teeth… they were all sharp and pointed, metal I think. One of his hands wasn't a hand anymore… it was all metal… looked like claws. I couldn't really see it but I think his entire arm was metal… kinda like the inner frame of a mecha's arm…" he trailed off uncertainly.

"And the second Bionic?"

"I didn't get a good look at him, he snuck up on me from behind," Duo frowned. "I think his 'modifications' were more subtle though… he looked normal to me, except… when I shot him, the bullet ricocheted off his arm. I don't think he was wearing any armour on his arms…"

Heero silently tapped away at his tablet. "Did you see their faces?"

"The first one, had dark hair I think… but I didn't notice much else… his teeth were freaking me out. The other one was wearing a hood so I couldn't see his face."

"Is that all?" Heero looked slightly frustrated with how little Duo could tell him.

"Yeah… no, wait!" Duo exclaimed. "I remember now, they both wore these strange glasses, almost like goggles but with these weird wires connected to them."

"Night vision goggles?" Heero asked.

Duo considered it for a moment before shaking his head no. "No, they were too thin to be night vision. It could have been some sort of information relay or… I remember when the first Bionic lunged at me, I could see something reflected in his glasses." He took a moment to think back, his frown deepening. "It was like… a data stream? A bunch of images? I dunno… it was all so fast…"

Heero dutifully typed Duo's halting descriptions into his tablet, his brow creasing as he mulled over Duo's account of the strange glasses worn by the Bionics.

"What about their behaviour?" Heero questioned once he had finished uploading the descriptions to Nataku's database.

"What do you mean?"

"Did they act like soldiers?"

Duo drew his knees closer to his body, his fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on his blanket clad legs. "I don't know if I would call them soldiers," he stated after several moments. "They didn't act military, but moved as though they'd been trained extensively in combat."

"But not military?" Heero touched on the first point Duo made.

"No, they're attack wasn't coordinated, it was almost reckless."

Heero raised his brow. "They weren't working as a team?"

Duo shook his head, "They were but they weren't." He raised his hands defensively when Heero glared. "Look, their interaction was weird ok? The first one distracted me from the approach of the second one, but when the second one shot at me, the first one seemed upset by it. They argued the entire time they were attacking me, but they worked together to corner me."

"Did they use any hand signals to communicate?"

"Not that I saw, but they moved like they knew what the other's move would be…"

Heero paused in his typing, his eyes thoughtful as he gazed at Duo's huddled form.

"What about their attitudes? Personalities?"

"The second one was calm… controlled and efficient. But the first one…" Duo shuddered, "He was deranged, he acted like it was all some kind of game… he said, he said… he liked it when his 'playthings' screamed…"

Heero set his tablet down next to him, shifting uncomfortably as Duo continued to huddle in on himself, clearly distressed by his recollection of that night. Waging an internal struggle, he tentatively reached out and awkwardly patted Duo's foot, the only part of Duo that was within his reach.

Duo didn't seem to notice, his mind still caught up in the memories. "Most of them went insane…" he mumbled before his voice became more forceful and accusing. "They couldn't take the pain. Those sadistic bastards tortured them! It was all a game to them, to see how many parts they could cut off and replace without killing them…"

"How did you find the lab?" Heero asked softly.

"Hilde… she'd disappeared for weeks, Solo went to look for and he disappeared too… he was gone for months… and everyone kept dying… there was no medicine left, and Solo was the only one knew what to do with the plants… and Hilde came back… she came back… Solo loved her, but I… I… she was just so naïve!" Duo snarled before sobering. "But Solo loved her, and… and… she was brainwashed, she didn't know any better… she thought she was doing best, she was just trying to survive like the rest of us…"

Heero frowned, searching his memory for the names of 'Solo' and 'Hilde'. He remembered the ashes in the UNDIS sanctuary, Chang's records of his conversation with Duo indicated that Solo was the leader of the UNDIS group Duo had been part of. There was something about the girl's name that tickled at his memory too, something to do with a conversation he had had with Barton after his teammate had confessed that Duo had recognized him as _Pierrot_… something. It clicked into place a moment later.

"Hilde was a member of the _Reborn_," Heero stated.

"Yeah," Duo nodded, still lost in his memories. "Those fools actually thought the S.A. was going let them live, reward them… they called it 'forgiveness'… forgiving us for being… just being… I wanted nothing to do with them… but when the S.A. started shipping the _Reborn _ to L2…" Duo clenched his jaw, "Solo thought we should reach out… join forces… the more the merrier," Duo laughed bitterly. "One day Solo came home with Hilde… said she was one of us now… we fought… it was the first time we really fought… but he saw something in her… she had this spunk, this spirit that the rest of us just didn't have anymore… as much as I couldn't fully trust her, and hated her naivety… I couldn't help but admire her… she had so much hope, she actually believed… and she did help us… and… and… even though, she… Solo died… I just couldn't blame her…" he finished brokenly.

"And the lab?" Heero asked, steering Duo back on track and trying to make sense of his distorted jumble of words.

"A couple months after Solo disappeared… Hilde showed up… she was hurt, real bad… she had a disk with her… she… she said something about a hidden lab, and Solo… and how they were running experiments… but she died before I could make any sense of it… the disk was so badly damaged, it took me forever to piece the data together, to find the lab… by that time, I was the only one left… I went in, hoping that the others were still alive… I killed the scientists first… and, then I found Solo and wished I hadn't… their deaths were too merciful… I wanted them to suffer…"

"Was Solo still alive?"

"No… he'd been dead for weeks… but they were keeping him like some sort of sick trophy… he wasn't him anymore… he was more metal than human… and… and… there were videos, they were documenting their… experiments… they'd converted one of the prison floors into some sort of sick fighting arena… guess they didn't need the space anymore since they were killing all their prisoners… it was gruesome… most of them were out of their minds…"

"We found no videos in the lab," Heero observed.

"I destroyed them… I had to leave them their dignity… I destroyed the bodies… too…"

"But you didn't destroy the files."

Duo shrugged. "It just didn't seem right… to erase everything like it didn't happen… to erase their evils… because it happened… as disgusting as it was, it still happened I… it just wasn't right… but it still happened!" he howled, jumping from the chair and stalking over to the bed, burying himself under the covers.

* * *

><p>Quatre scrolled through the files, worrying his bottom lip as he carefully pieced the information together. His desk was covered with notebooks, their pages full of rows upon rows of figures. Next to him sat a cup of tea, cold and long forgotten.<p>

With a deep sigh, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. Picking up his tea cup, he took a sip, only to put it back down with a grimace. He was jolted out of his tired daze by the blinking light of a vid call on his monitor.

"Hello Heero," Quatre answered wearily as Heero's image blinked to life on his screen.

"Quatre," Heero greeted with a curt nod. "Am I disturbing you?"

"No, not really," Quatre sighed. "Just trying to trace who made the payment to Walker, also seeing if I can trace any other suspicious transactions paid through the Medici Bank. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get very far… I was hoping that they would be careless somewhere, but they're being frustratingly careful."

"Have you heard from Barton?"

Quatre nodded sombrely. "I didn't get the full details but yes, it appears the S.A. wasn't as weakened as we thought. Noin is going to have her hands full with this one… the media is going to have a field day, most likely they'll call it the work of a serial killer. But I don't think that's why you called," Quatre remarked with a small smile. "You're getting better with social niceties Heero."

Heero merely grunted in reply.

"You look troubled Heero, how are things with Duo? I hear he's getting used to his new surroundings, opening up more."

"He's refusing to eat or drink, he won't get out of the bed!" Heero growled in frustration. "I've tried everything, water, juices, energy gels, dry rations, wet rations, even those teas you gave me!"

"What happened Heero?" Quatre asked gently.

"He was fine yesterday, a little jumpy, but he seemed calm. But this morning, he was tense, he watched me all day, like he was looking for weaknesses."

Quatre tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What happened this morning?"

"Nothing, he woke up and started the bone stimulant training and-"

"No Heero," Quatre interrupted him gently, "What were you doing this morning?"

"I was looking through the files Chang was able to decrypt," Heero replied sullenly.

"Hm… the ones he was able to retrieve with the kill code Duo gave him? So Duo must have suspected that he would be questioned about the Bionics," Quatre deduced, "He must have been reacting to your mood."

Realization dawned in Heero's eyes. "He thought the Bionics were UNDIS, he was scared."

Quatre's mouth dropped open in surprise, "You mean the Bionics who killed the agents? He thought they were UNDIS? But Wufei and Trowa-"

"I agree with them. The evidence points to the two Bionics being Advantaged. Duo didn't know about the transmission to the other labs."

"That would make sense," Quatre nodded, "I doubt he would have looked very deep into the files considering their subject matter. But how do you know he thought they were UNDIS?"

"He told me. I had to question him, Barton and Chang needed to know what Duo saw that night. The discrepancies in the kill method made no sense. What he had to say was… troubling. I'm sending you the transcript now."

Quatre clicked to open the file, picking up his teacup out of habit as he quickly scanned the text. "Oh Allah," he breathed in dismay, his attention focused solely on the content of the file, Heero's voice a faint buzzing in his ear.

"-and he won't respond at all anymore, tell me how to fix it!" Heero demanded.

Quatre turned his attention back to his distraught friend. "There's no easy fix for this Heero, wounds of the psyche are far more difficult to heal than those of the body. You need to be patient with him Heero."

"I am being patient," Heero snapped. "Is there nothing I can do?"

Quatre went to take a sip of his tea before remember it was cold and setting it back down. "Is there something you can give him? Something other than the necessities of life," Quatre added when Heero opened his mouth to argue. "Offering him water and tasteless rations isn't enough. I know you've only been in contact with him for a few days, but if you can show him somehow that you care… or are at least paying attention… Make him feel more like a friend than a prisoner…"

Heero nodded slowly. "I have an idea. Thank you Quatre."

"Heero wait!" Quatre tried but Heero had already cut the line. "Still all business as usual," Quatre sighed to himself, once again reaching for his teacup. "Oh for colonies sake!" he swore to himself. "Rashid!" he called loudly. "Could I have some hot tea please?"

* * *

><p>"Duo, get up!" Heero was back by his bedside again, lightly shaking his shoulder. Duo curled tighter under his blanket, trying to ignore the insistent man. He yelped when he felt the covers being yanked off and sat up, glaring at Heero who tossed his Sweepers coveralls at him.<p>

"What?" he snarled, catching the coveralls midair.

"We're going out," Heero announced.

"And if I don't want to?" Duo snapped.

"I think you'll want to," Heero replied calmly.

Duo continued to glare daggers at Heero before giving in and pulling the coveralls on. The tense environment in the small apartment was oppressing and he was starting to get claustrophobic. He didn't know where they were going but he decided to take his chances; even if it was only for a short reprieve.

Stuffing his feet into his boots, he followed Heero out into the hallway and silently rode the elevator down and stepped out into the cool night hair. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he looked up, happy to be out of the tiny apartment and out in the open.

Heero led him down the darkened streets, giving no indication of where they were headed. Duo took his time to carefully commit everything he saw to memory, memorizing roads and landmarks. He stopped in shock when they rounded the corner around another large apartment complex and emerged at the foot of a large biodome.

"The park?" he gasped, taking in the imposing glass and metal dome. "But isn't it closed?" he asked, noting that its interior was darkened and the doors were locked.

"My Preventers badge can gain us access," Heero replied as he swiped his card, the digital lock turning from red to green as the doors opened with a whoosh.

Duo hesitantly followed Heero inside, his eyes widening as he took in the faint night lights, the rolling grass and the gigantic trees dotting the interior of the biodome. He stepped forward in awe, the grass soft beneath his booted feet.

"Can I?" he gestured towards the largest tree standing in the center of the dome.

Heero nodded. "Yes, but we can't turn on the lights, people will notice." He followed Duo as he made his way towards the center of his dome, his braid waving like his pendulum as Duo looked around him in wonder.

Duo stopped at the base of the tree, reaching out to reverently stroke his hand down the bark. "I made it Solo," he whispered softly. "I made it above-ground, I touched a real tree Solo."

He glanced behind him to see where Heero was to find him sitting on a bench, some distance away. Heero nodded, silently communicating that he would give Duo his space. Duo sunk to the ground, his back against the tree and sat on the plush grass. Looking up, he gazed the branches of the trees, each giving life to a canopy of leaves. And through the small gaps in the leaves and the clear glass of the dome, he could see the stars sparkling in the colony's night sky.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard Heero's soft steps approaching. He glanced over to see the dark haired agent walking slowly towards him, hands in pockets, his wayward hair waving softly with his movements.

"Is it time to go?" he asked, rising to his feet.

Heero nodded curtly and began walking towards the exit, Duo in tow.

"Hey Heero," Duo called softly after a few steps.

Heero turned towards him, his dark blue eyes regarding him guardedly.

"Thank you," Duo whispered.

"You're welcome," Heero replied just as quietly.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So I apologize for the delay. RL doesn't like me much right now and there are never enough hours in a day. Another monster of a chapter, some new clues and a couple of loose ends tied up.<em>

_Anyways, thanks for reading and thank you thank you thank you for the reviews! They really help with the writing process, and they also cheer me up when RL gets stressful. No clue on when the next chapter will be up, might be a while (T.T)_


	19. Episode Eighteen: Frailties

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Eighteen: Frailties <em>_(January 11, 280 AE)_

Duo munched on a ration cracker as he watched Heero sit tensely at his desk, scrolling through what looked like an endless list of delivery manifests. When Duo had woken up, Heero had been at his desk, working diligently on his laptop, the blanket resting on the end of the couch was folded into a neat square. Duo wondered if Heero had slept at all last night. He'd had a hard time falling asleep last night, lying awake for hours, his mind trapped in the chaos of his memories. He'd finally been able to calm himself enough to fall into a restless slumber by remembering his unexpected visit to the neighbouring biodome and how the rough bark of the tree had caught on his calluses. He had stirred from his uneasy sleep sometime shortly after dawn and Heero had immediately honed in on him. The medical mat had been rolled out without ceremony and Duo found himself staring at the ceiling for the second morning in a row. Treatment finished, Duo now sat dutifully eating his breakfast as Heero continued to ignore him.

Duo was bored out of his mind. He wasn't used to being so inactive. Even alone, after all of 'Solo's Kids' had died, he had kept busy, tending to his basic needs, spying on the Liberators and plotting his revenge. Ever since becoming Heero's new 'companion', he had spent his days incapacitated in bed or being grilled for information. He hardly knew anything about his new surroundings, nor had he had the opportunity to learn more. His fingers itched to explore all the nooks and crannies of Heero's apartment, to discover what secrets were locked in the large chest at the foot of the bed and most importantly, to scavenge the kitchen cupboards for something more palatable than dry ration crackers. Duo was tempted to try, he was highly skilled at moving undetected but he also realized that despite Heero's seeming preoccupation with his work, Heero was also keeping a close watch on him. Duo sighed as he returned his attention to his breakfast, idly poking at his last ration cracker. When Heero continued to ignore him, he sighed louder and began to tap the cracker against his plate.

"You're supposed to eat it, not play with it," Heero commented dryly as he paused in his typing.

'Gotcha,' Duo smirked inwardly to himself. He ignored Heero and continued to fiddle with his remaining cracker.

Heero returned to his typing but soon gave up as Duo continued to sigh loudly and toyed with the cracker on his plate. Rising from his seat, he made his way into the kitchen and opened his crate of apples, retrieving one for himself and another for Duo. He carefully replaced the lid on the crate, noting that there were only a few apples remaining.

Duo accepted the apple and bit into it with relish. "So, whatcha working on?" he asked around his first mouthful.

"Work," Heero replied in monotone.

"I didn't know you worked as a delivery boy," Duo cocked his head to side.

Heero glared. "I don't, I'm a Preventer."

"You've been reading shipping manifests all morning," Duo shrugged nonchalantly. "Excuse me for being mistaken. It's not like I know all that much about you…"

"I'm looking into a fraudulent credit scheme. Resources have been stolen and diverted through legitimate purchases."

"That's why you were so interested in the cargo ship I saw docked at a passenger bay," Duo commented. He cocked his head to the side, "But why are you going through all the delivery manifests manually? Why not write a search program? It'd save you a lot of time…"

Heero glanced sharply at him as he swallowed his bite of apple before replying. "There are a lot of high profile people and companies that could be involved, others could be innocent pawns. I need to know more details and find a pattern before creating a search program so that we don't accuse the wrong people and let the real culprit escape."

"You mean the S.A.," Duo commented bitterly. "Could almost be a repeat of L5… why not do a search parameter for any commonalities between the L5 scheme and the scheme right now? They must have some of the same players, maybe Wufei could-"

"Don't ever mention L5 around Chang," Heero growled, cutting Duo off in mid-sentence.

Duo blinked in shock. "What? Why?"

Heero seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying quietly. "Chang is one of the royals from L5."

Duo stared at him dumbfounded, his half-eaten apple falling from his limp grasp. "I thought they were all dead? I heard all the L5 royals sacrificed themselves and the colony rather than admit defeat to the S.A.!"

"He'd left L5 to come study on L1, he was on L1 when L5 was destroyed."

"What? But he didn't go back when the S.A. attacked? I thought all the royals remained on L5, that there were no survivors so how-"

"That is Chang's story to tell, not mine. If he wants you to know about his past, he'll tell you in due time. Don't ask him about it," Heero told him gruffly.

"A need to know basis eh?" Duo commented dejectedly, his shoulders slumped. "Guess it's something a prisoner like me isn't allowed to know shit…"

"You're not a prisoner."

"Oh yeah? Fine, captive then!" Duo snapped as he angrily took a large bite of his apple, juices flowing down his chin and chewed on the remaining half of his apple.

Heero silently watched Duo chew furiously for a few moments, carefully choosing his next words. "To keep you safe. Once the threat has been eliminated, you will be integrated into society and-"

"Bullshit! And how long is that going to take? And even if you manage to great rid of the S.A., they'll be some new threat that you'll use as an excuse to keep me locked up!" Duo snarled as he threw his apple core at Heero's head.

Heero stepped lightly to the side as the apple core sailed past his head and hit the titled kitchen wall behind him with a wet splat. He stared stonily at Duo before turning and carefully picking up the apple core from the counter where it fell. With slow deliberate movements, he began to carefully pick the seeds out with a knife. Once done with Duo's apple, he picked up his own apple core and once again began to carefully pry out the seeds one by one. After judiciously rinsing them and blotting them dry with a towel, he opened a small wooden box and gently deposited the seeds inside.

Duo watched him from his perch on the kitchen stool with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had a hunch that Heero was the reason had not been locked up in some obscure satellite far away from society, or even executed. He also realized that Heero was his best shot at survival in this foreign environment. He remembered Howard's offer to hide him among the Sweepers but he was tired of being banished to the outskirts of society, being kept hidden in the dark recesses of the underworld. He still didn't know if he could trust Heero, but he knew he couldn't afford to alienate him.

"Look, I'm sorry," he began as Heero closed the lid to his seed-box. "It's just frustrating and I don't know, I mean I don't want to make excuses but… it's hard having no control, not that I ever really had any, but things are so confusing and unstable… I just don't know what to think… I just… I just. Look I'm sorry!" he burst out in frustration. "I'm sorry," he repeated again in a smaller voice.

Heero carefully set his seed-box down on the countertop. "It's fine. You did not sleep that well last night," he stated calmly. "Your emotional response is not unexpected."

Duo clenched his jaw, supressing his irritation with Heero's eerily calm response. He desperately searched for a new topic of conversation that would get him away of this uncomfortable discussion of his current situation and something that would help him gain some insight on Heero.

"Why do you always save the seeds?" he asked as his eyes landed on the small wooden box on the counter-top.

Heero's eyes narrowed slightly at the change in topic but he indulged Duo in his obvious attempt at changing the subject and nodded towards the small window sill in the living area. "I'm trying to get the seeds to sprout."

Duo raised a brow, "You're trying to grow an apple tree? In here? I don't think you have the space…"

Heero shrugged. "Doesn't really matter since I can't get any of the seeds to sprout."

Duo nodded, "Growing trees from seeds is next to impossible. Usually you raise them from cuttings..." He glanced up to see Heero studying him intently. "At least that's what Solo said, he was the green thumb, not me. I was more into gadgets and stuff."

"Did Solo manage to grow any trees in the greenhouse?" Heero asked.

"Uh no," Duo stuttered, realizing that the subject of their conversation had once again turned back to him. "There wasn't the space and it didn't make sense resource wise. Trees take a lot of time and energy to grow, not to mention need a lot of water, soil and what not. Why are you trying to sprout an apple seed? Because you're a fan of apples?" he gestured towards the apple crate.

Heero remained silent, studying Duo's face as though trying to decide something.

"Umm… so you're not a fan of apples? I mean, you seem to eat a lot of them…" Duo rambled, clearly unnerved by Heero's intense scrutiny of him.

"I do like them," Heero interrupted him mid-ramble. "It was the dream of someone I met once… my first… friend," he spoke haltingly. "He gave me an apple and told me that one day, he was going to grow an apple tree so he and I could have all the apples we could ever want."

"Huh," Duo remarked. "That's a pretty crazy dream…"

"You don't approve?"

"You gotta admit that it's a pretty unrealistic goal… but then again, I guess that's why they're called dreams. So what happened to this friend of yours? Why are you the one stuck planting seeds and not him?"

"He was killed by the S.A."

"Oh," Duo muttered. "Sorry to hear that." He shifted uncomfortably on in his seat before gesturing at the small wooden box. "Can I?"

Heero pushed the seed-box across the counter to Duo. Duo carefully picked up the box, his fingers running over the smooth wood. He popped open the lid and glanced inside to see a small mound of glistening seeds. He closed the lid and ran his fingers over the lid, feeling the smoothly carved wood under his fingers.

"This is nice," he commented. "Did you make this yourself?"

Heero nodded.

Duo continued to run his hands over the smooth wood, noting the letters carved into the lid. "Appleseeds," he read out loud. "Isn't that supposed to be two words?"

"I miscalculated how much space I needed," Heero replied stone-faced.

Before Duo could respond, a single loud chime filled the apartment. "What the…?"

Heero turned towards the door and made his way to entrance hallway, Duo following closely behind. He stopped next to what looked like a cupboard and opened the door revealing a midsized compartment.

Heero retrieved several packages from inside the compartment. "It's the apartment's delivery system. All deliveries are delivered to the apartment's lower level reception and transported up to the individual apartments," he explained at Duo's confusion.

Duo peeked over Heero's shoulder and noted to himself that it was large enough for him to fit inside if he crouched down.

"It's also equipped with bio-sensors so the lift won't move if they're triggered," Heero added as he brushed past Duo, packages in hand.

Duo grinned weakly. "Am I that easy to read?"

Heero shrugged as he placed the packages on the low lying coffee table. "There was a string of high profile robberies where the robbers used the room delivery system to break into the apartments of several wealthy and powerful individuals. Ever since then, all delivery systems have been equipped with bio-sensors," he explained. "These are for you," he added, holding up the first package.

"Me?" Duo joined him in the living area, a dumbfounded look on his face. He opened the largest package first, inhaling in surprise as pulled out several articles of dark coloured clothing. He reverently fingered a black shirt, rubbing his cheek against the soft material. He dropped the shirt back into the box and eagerly tore into the next box. The second box contained several cans of tea which Duo sniffed appreciatively. With growing excitement, he opened the last package, staring dumbfounded as he pulled out brand new top-of-the-line tablet.

"Am I even allowed to have this?" Duo asked in awe.

Heero glared. "No." Before he could take the tablet away, the apartment's comm unit began to beep loudly. Heero grumbled under his breath and stomped over to answer the comm unit. Quatre's smiling face popped up on the screen as Heero jabbed the answer button.

"Good morning!" he greeted cheerfully. "I trust you received the packages I sent you?"

Duo looked up in surprise. "You sent these?"

"Of course!" Quatre replied sunnily. "I hope you like everything!"

"Yeah, this stuff is great-" Duo enthused happily before getting cut off by Heero.

"A tablet?" Heero demanded angrily. "What were you thinking? You know he can't-"

"Calm down Heero," Quatre chided lightly, "It's a modified tablet with limited access to the netsphere." He turned his attention to Duo, "You can watch the media networks, do simple searches and order delivery for daily essentials. The tablet has already been configured to Nataku's network and your activity will be monitored by her systems. I hope you understand, those were the only conditions Ms. Noin would agree to…"

Duo looked down at his new tablet and nodded in disappointment. "Yeah, I get it," he sighed before brightening. "Still, it's more than lil' ole me could ask for. Thanks Quatre."

Heero crossed his arms and glowered at Quatre but made no further attempt to take the tablet away from Duo. Quatre continued to smile sunnily at the two men but his smile failed to reach his eyes.

* * *

><p>Trowa lounged in his chair, carefully studying the photos projected on the large touch-screen erected on the wall of the Winner warehouse, his team's temporary office. After several moments of contemplation, he smoothly pushed himself to his feet and approached the screen, his long fingers selecting several pictures and magnifying them. Tilting his head to the side, he examined them carefully before selecting another set of pictures and repeating the process. He tapped a finger against chin, his single green examining every minute detail of the pictures. Shaking his head minutely, he shifted his attention to the other side of the warehouse where Wufei sat cross-legged on the floor, deep in meditation.<p>

"Care to join me or are you going to continue to ignore the investigation?" Trowa asked dryly.

Wufei cracked open an eye before resuming his calm façade. "Sometimes it helps to distance yourself from a problem, to regain neutrality and to re-challenge the problem with fresh eyes. Besides, it will be quite some time before the results from the lab are back. I'm not holding my breath for any results from Wallins' room. It was a clean kill; the killer took great care to erase all traces of his presence."

Trowa didn't respond directly. "There were two of them."

Wufei sighed and abandoned his attempts to continue meditating. "We've been over this already," he groused as he rose to his feet and stretched. "The large discrepancy between the two kills plus Duo's statement on the two Bionics confirms this."

"It's the discrepancy that's bothering me," Trowa explained.

"What of it? We have two different killers, therefore the discrepancy. The crime scenes are consistent with what Duo said. The Bionic with the claw and fang modifications behaved erratically while the other was calmer and more controlled. One crime scene was brutal and messy, the other was clean."

Trowa nodded. "But they were a team, the kills were done in concert."

"Which Duo's statement corroborates. What are you getting at?"

"Anderson's kill took much longer than Wallins," Trowa stated quietly. "So what was Wallins' killer doing while his partner was torturing Anderson? According to these blood-spatter patterns, there was only one assailant in the room with Anderson."

Wufei's gaze sharpened as he approached the large touch screen. "So the partner was waiting… and most likely in Wallins' room."

"Yes, and it takes a very disciplined man to spend an extended amount of time in one place without interacting with his environment somehow. Even if he didn't leave any trace behind, there must be some clue as to what he did while he was waiting…" Trowa mused quietly.

"Speaking from experience?" Wufei asked as he studied the evidence pictures from Wallins' apartment.

Trowa shrugged. "Not all of us meditate like you do."

"And?" Wufei prodded as he began to construct a 3-D model of Wallins' apartment on the screen. "What would you do?"

"I wouldn't stay in the room after my kill, too risky."

"But if you had to?"Wufei insisted.

Trowa inclined his head to the side, considering the 3-D model before him. "I wouldn't stay in one place for too long. The floor is carpeted; I would risk leaving indentations… I'd stay in the kitchen where it's tiled."

Wufei zeroed in on the kitchen, turning the image this way and that but frowning as he found nothing out of the ordinary. "There's not a single thing out of place!" he growled in frustration before a knowing glint entered his eye and he picked up his tablet and began scrolling through files.

"What are you looking for?" Trowa glanced over Wufei's shoulder at his tablet. "The rookie's personal evaluation and training records?"

Wufei nodded. "I remembered Noin mentioning that training for the newest crop of rookies was rushed to fill demand and that she wasn't completely happy with the degree of discipline in the new rookies."

"Training was cut from 8 weeks to 3 weeks," Trowa agreed. "Noin had little time to get the Preventers operational and off the ground."

"Exactly," Wufei affirmed. "Wallins was young, so unless he was fastidious about cleaning, his kitchen wouldn't be this clean and organized. Ah, I was right. His evaluation notes say that he was eager and followed orders well but was disorganized and easily misplaced things. I'd hazard a guess that he was messy as well."

"And his apartment is too clean," Trowa added as he examined the photos of the apartment with new insight.

Wufei pointed to the open kitchen shelves. "Everything is in its place, ordered by size and alphabetized. He cleaned and reorganized the apartment top to bottom. I'm guessing he even arranged the body," he turned to Trowa. "What do you think? Do you think he was erasing all traces of himself or something else?"

"Something else," Trowa answered. "It's probably a compulsion, maybe even a disorder."

"OCD?" Wufei queried. "It's very probable." He brought up the bloody images from the Anderson's apartment and compared the two crimes scenes side by side. "So we have one highly disorganized killer and one highly organized."

"Which would lead to a dysfunctional partnership," Trowa concluded. "Fits with what Duo said about them working together but not."

"Which we could use to our advantage," Wufei added.

"If we can even find them," Trowa sighed.

* * *

><p>Duo had showered, changed into his new clothes and sat quietly braiding his hair. Heero was once again at his desk but every so often would sneak glances at Duo as he methodically brushed his long hair, divided it into three equal sections and plaited his long tresses. Duo remained oblivious to Heero's sneaking glances and sat lost in thought as his hands automatically tied off his braid with an elastic tie.<p>

The silence in the small apartment was broken with the ringing of the doorbell. Heero flipped his monitor's feed to the entrance camera and grunted in surprise at the figure he saw at his door.

"Sally," he greeted as he opened the door and shifted to the side to allow the braided doctor to enter the apartment.

"Heero," she greeted genially before entering with her medical bag. "Hello Duo," she smiled at the braided man gazing curiously at her from his seat in the armchair. "I hear you're feeling better."

Duo nodded. "Yeah thanks. You're the lady doc, Wufei's companion," he stated.

Sally chuckled. "Yes I am. We've met a couple times before but you were always a little sleepy then."

"I thought you were working the rookies' case," Heero questioned bluntly.

"I was," Sally replied as she set her medical case on the coffee table. "I finished he autopsies and thought that it would be nice to examine a patient that is alive rather than dead." Sally twirled one of her braids around her finger, "Catherine also finished developing a vaccination for the QR145 virus so I thought I'd inoculate you two. Roll up your sleeves," she instructed as she pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

Heero shrugged out of his light jacket, revealing a plain green tank top and his bare arms. Duo noted the toned biceps, marveling at their definition. He fiddled with his own sleeve, the long sleeve easily pushing up to his shoulder as the loose fabric hung on his undernourished frame. He compared his own scrawny arm to Heero's well-muscled upper arms with a sigh. While he didn't lack muscle, his was lean and stretched thin over the bone and lacked the bulk of Heero's muscle. He absently rubbed his upper arm, and was startled out of his thoughts as a warm hand landed on his and he looked up into Sally's clear blue eyes.

"Don't worry," Sally smiled, "I'm very good at this." She briskly swabbed his arm with antiseptic and before he realized what was happening, the vaccination had been administered she was pressing a cotton ball against the injection site. "Just hold it there for a few seconds," she instructed as she disposed of the needle. Pulling off her gloves, she placed her hands on her hips and considered Duo from head to toe. "I think I'll do a quick physical while I'm here. Heero, be a doll and go and get us some lunch."

Heero frowned at her. "I have enough here to feed the three of us."

Sally tossed a braid over her shoulder as he began pulling medical instruments out of her bag. "Yes I know, ration crackers and apples," she scoffed. "I've seen the records you sent me. I'm sure Duo is sick of ration crackers."

"They have optimal nutritional balance and-" Heero began.

Sally raised a hand to silence him. "It doesn't have to be calculated down to the last milligram. Ball-park is fine, we can all enjoy something just as nutritious and much more appetizing than rations. I was thinking something from Lucio's. I haven't had lunch there in a while…"

Heero glared. "I'll order delivery service."

Sally shook her head dismissively. "Nuh-uh. I want Lucio's and it doesn't do deliveries. It's only a few blocks from here. They'll be opening soon and I'm craving a 'Ladies Indulgence Lunch Special'. If you leave now, you might beat the rush. Now shoo! They sell out fast and I'll be _very_ disappointed if sell out."

"I can't leave Duo on his own, Noin's orders."

Sally rolled her eyes. "Am I invisible? I'm a Preventers agent and his physician. I'm more than qualified to look after Duo. And if he gives me any trouble I'll just sedate him nine ways to Sunday," she exclaimed, waving around a wicked looking needle.

Heero scowled but dutifully donned his jacket. "What should I get for Duo?"

"You're a smart boy, I'm sure you can figure it out. Something tasty but not too rich; get something for yourself too."

Heero didn't respond but simply glared at Sally as he made his way out of the apartment. Sally let out a sigh of relief and turned back towards Duo who was warily eyeing the needle in her hand. "Oh don't be silly," she chuckled. "I'm not going to use this on you. I just thought it might be good to get him out of the apartment for a bit. Besides," she added as she put away the needle, "it's just saline."

* * *

><p>Wufei sat next to Noin in her office as they both faced the comm unit that was currently connected with Quatre on L4. They watched quietly as Quatre read through the data they had sent him, his face growing more troubled by the second.<p>

"And the situation has been contained?" he asked at last.

Noin nodded tersely. "For now. We can't keep this under wraps forever."

"I agree," Quatre sighed. "You'll have to release media statement before this gets leaked to the press. Better that the general population hear it from the Preventers than from the media. Who knows where the media will run with this story…"

"The most hysterical angle that they can take," Wufei sneered. "Anything to get the populace stirred up."

Quatre sighed, "Terror sells. During the rebellion, all businesses except for weapons-makers and the media suffered. There's nothing like a terrifying murder to sell digital papers."

"It still doesn't justify their dishonourable behaviour, preying on the fear of the people," Wufei glanced out of the corner of his eye to see that Noin had frozen in place, her attention fixed to her tablet. "Are you listening?"

"I just got Sally's autopsy report. They could release the tamest details of the murders and it would still whip the population into a frenzy," Noin shuddered as she passed her tablet to Wufei.

"What do you mean?" Quatre demanded from the screen. "What does the report say?"

Wufei cursed under his breath as he scanned quickly through the report. "She suspects that the Bionic that killed Anderson is suffering from Antropophagy."

"Antro what?" Quatre asked, blinking in confusion.

"It's a mental disorder that leads to cannibalism," Noin answered robotically. "She discovered that Anderson's heart was missing, with evidence of bite marks around the missing heart. There's also roughly a pint of Anderson's blood that is unaccounted for, even if you take into account blood lost at the scene."

Quatre's eyes widened as he turned away and threw up out of the camera's range. Rashid's worried voice could be heard in the background. Quatre's visibly shaken image returned to the screen a moment later. "I would suggest that the Preventers release an official statement as soon as possible, try and tone down the details and emphasize that it's a single, isolated event. The details of Anderson's death can't be released to the public. If this gets out, there will be no stopping the rumours of a cult killing or a deranged serial killer on the loose," Quatre stumbled over his words as he began to retch again. "I'm sorry, I have to go" he gasped before the screen went blank.

Noin wiped the cold sweat from her brow. "How did Trowa miss a missing heart?" she wondered aloud.

"The body was badly mutated, it's not something that would be spotted with a cursory examination. Plus, it's not usual procedure to check to ensure that all internal organs are accounted for," Wufei commented dryly as he rose. "I need to go find Sally. It's not like her to not report her findings directly. I trust you can handle the press release?"

Noin nodded. "Go, make sure Sally is alright. I'll handle the press, it's my job after all."

Noin sighed and turned to her computer as Wufei left. She was mentally steeling herself to begin writing an official statement to the press when her assistant Helena came rushing into her office, sheer panic written across her normally shy features.

"It's all over the news! Oh it's horrible Commander! All lines at the switchboard of full of incoming calls!" Helena sobbed half-hysterically.

"Calm down Helena," Noin urged, "What is all over the news?"

"A picture of Agent Anderson's body!"

* * *

><p>Relena brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled again for the camera. She pushed her shoulders back and tilted her head ever so slightly, just as she had practiced in the mirror with Dorothy this morning.<p>

"Wonderful Minister! Absolutely beautiful!" the photographer crowed. "We've got the shot!" he announced to the photography crew milling about Relena's private office. Relena let out a sigh as she sank back against the lush leather cushioning of her office chair and gratefully accepted a glass of water from one of her many assistants.

Dorothy approached her desk with a heavily made-up red-head in tow. "You looked splendid Ms. Relena. Perfectly benefitting of your station," she praised before gesturing to the woman next to her. "This is Natalia from the L1 Tribune. She's author of the weekly Lifestyle column. We thought it would be great if we did a little personal piece, give the public a little insight into the personal life of the colony's newest political star. People like political figures they can relate to," Dorothy added when Relena looked a little unsure.

"It's such a pleasure Supreme Minister," the columnist butted in before Relena could voice any protest. She extended a neatly manicured hand, "I'm a huge fan!" she gushed with too much enthusiasm.

"Oh no, the pleasure is mine," Relena replied automatically as she shook the 30-something woman's hand.

Natalia seated herself across from Relena while Dorothy took her place behind Relena's chair. The reporter began with a series of mundane and harmless questions which Relena answered with practiced ease. Seeing that Relena was feeling more at ease, she nodded to Natalia, silently cueing her to move on to her next line of questioning.

"You were recently spotted dinning with celebrated hero of the colonies, Heero Yuy," Natalia stated, "I must say you two make a lovely couple." Relena blushed prettily and Dorothy grinned like a shark, silently nodding her approval to the reporter. "Tell me, was it love at first sight?"

"Well…" Relena's blush intensified. "We definitely developed a connection during the rebellion, his strength helped me deal with the loss of my parents and he's saved my life countless times," she sighed dreamily.

"Your very own knight in shining armour?" the reporter pressed.

"Oh yes," Relena breathed in obvious adoration.

Natalia's painted red lips stretched into a devious smile. "And he seems very attentive about your well-being," she expressed enthusiastically. "As all our readers know, your new position keeps you incredibly busy, and how sweet is it that he takes the time to bring you lunch!"

"What?" Relena asked, confusion written across her pretty features.

"Oh don't play coy Supreme Minister!" Natalia giggled. "One of our staff reporters witnessed Heero at the popular eatery 'Lucio's' purchasing a take-home order of a 'Ladies Indulgence Lunch Special', the hottest item on the menu!"

"I.." Relena faltered. Behind her, Dorothy too raised a surprised brow but quickly schooled her features.

Natalia winked dramatically, "So how was lunch with your sweetheart? It'll be our little secret."

Dorothy jumped in, "Thank you so much Natalia," she interrupted, "Unfortunately Ms. Relena has a very busy schedule and-"

Dorothy never managed to finish her sentence as one of Relena's office assistants burst into the room, frantically waving a tablet in the air.

"Oh Minister, it's horrible. There is a deranged serial killer on the loose and he's targeting members of the new political order!"

* * *

><p>"Everything sounds good!" Sally cheerfully enthused as she put away her stethoscope and Duo pulled his shirt back over his head. "You might get a slight fever from the vaccination I gave you but since you're already immune to the virus I doubt you'll feel any real side-effects as it'll act more like a booster than an initial inoculation."<p>

Duo looked at her blankly. "I'm immune to the Red Plague?"

Sally raised a quizzical brow. "Didn't you know that?"

"No," Duo shook his head.

Sally sat across from him. "Were you ever exposed to the virus?"

"Yeah," Duo replied somberly. "I went back to the Church, after they'd been given those bogus vaccinations. Everyone was dead, blood was everywhere. Solo freaked when he found out that I'd gone back. He was real worried that I was gonna get sick too…"

"And did you?"

Duo shrugged. "Dunno. I ran a bit of a fever after that, but I figured it was more from the shock."

"Did Solo give you anything?" Sally asked gently. "A shot? Some medicine?"

"No… just the usual. Scrubbed me from head to toe, gave me the immune boosting fungi he grew and made me chew on licorice root. It was pretty nasty."

"Hmm…" Sally twirled one of her braided twists around her finger. "Licorice root wouldn't be enough to combat the deadliness of the virus. It's also doubtful that any fungi could do the same. Could be a natural immunity that you had to the virus," she mused to herself. "You may have genetic mutations that make you naturally resistant to the virus, mutations that procedure dictates that we screen out… perhaps your cells lack the receptor sites that the virus binds itself too. I'll have to run some tests to know for sure…" she trailed off, lost in thought.

Duo shuffled away uncomfortably and perched on a kitchen stool but Sally didn't seem to notice, she remained seated on the couch, her mind clearly preoccupied with the mystery of Duo's immunity to the QR145 virus. Duo studied her intently, thinking over her overly friendly manner, her insistence that Heero buy her a specific lunch and the odd look she had had in her eyes all day. He knew that look well, he had seen it reflected countless times in the eyes of his friends, even himself. It was the look of someone refusing to acknowledge some horrible truth; it was the look of denial.

The uncomfortable silence was interrupted a rustling at the door. Sally snapped out of her reverie with a smile. "About time!" she exclaimed as she opened the front door to reveal a still-scowling Heero with his arms full of take-out containers. Eagerly grabbing the top-most container, she made her way to the couch and sighed in bliss as she began pulling out its contents.

Duo watched curiously as Sally began organizing the various contents of her lunch on the coffee table. Noticing Duo's curious gaze, Sally named each item. "Soup of the day," she took an appreciative sniff, "Cream of Broccoli I'm guessing, a fresh garden salad, baked pasta, triple chocolate cake and pink lemonade," she finished before ravenously digging into her lunch.

Duo turned towards Heero and noticed the stoic man carefully watching Sally as she devoured her lunch. Heero met his eyes for a moment before unpacking the last two containers and placing their contents on the kitchen countertop. Sally looked from her lunch long enough to see Heero divide all the contents equally between himself and Duo. She blinked in surprise when she saw the variety of food he'd brought home and his indulgent choices.

"Baked potato, fresh salad, roasted vegetable pizza, egg salad sandwich," Heero gruffly named each item as he divided it between himself and a wide-eyed Duo. "Fresh berry milkshakes," he finished as he pulled out two drink containers.

"I'm surprised," Sally commented around a mouthful of pasta. "You're really outdone yourself Heero."

Heero shrugged, "I didn't know what Duo would like," he replied, watching to see Duo's reaction.

"Well that makes two of us," Duo muttered to himself as he tried to decide what to try first. "This must have cost a fortune," he remarked to Heero as he took his first bite of potato.

"Not really," Sally explained. "Lucio's is supplied by a community run greenhouse, mostly retirees that grow vegetables and fruits and raise chickens as a hobby so prices are reasonable. The down-side is that supply is limited so they're only open for lunch and sell-out quickly."

Duo listened to Sally's explanation as he took an experimental bite out of everything. "They have chickens?" he exclaimed after he'd swallowed a bite of salad.

"Just a small hen-house for eggs only," Sally answered, "They were lucky to get a permit."

"Huh, that's actually pretty smart," Duo commented. "Are there lots of places like that?"

"Sadly, in the city, no. Space is limited so it's hard to justify zoning an area as recreational when a high-rise apartment complex could be built in the same space." Sally gestured toward the array of food in front of Duo, "How do you like it?"

Duo took another sip of his milkshake before answering, "Everything's really good, better than good." He glanced up at Heero, "Thanks, this is really great… and not to be ungrateful but it is a nice change from crackers…"

"Which is your favourite?" Heero asked unexpectedly, causing Sally to almost choke on her lemonade.

"Uh… hard to say, they're all really good. If I had to pick, it'd probably the potato or the shake," Duo replied in confusion.

Heero nodded, carefully stowing away the information for later. "We can have lunch from Lucio's again next month. I'll be sure to check that they have the potatoes and milkshake when we do."

"You two are just too adorable!" Sally chuckled as she finished off the last bite of her cake. "Sharing your meals, planning future lunches," she continued as she gathered up her empty containers and stacked them neatly. Rising from her seat, she picked up her medical bag made her way towards the door.

"Thank you for the lovely lunch," Sally said as placed a hand on Heero's shoulder. "And let me know if either of you feel any adverse effects from the vaccine."

"Are you heading back to headquarters?"

"No," Sally replied from the doorway. "I have another patient that I haven't visited in a while."

Duo and Heero ate in silence after the door had closed behind Sally.

"So… is she always like that?" Duo asked after finishing his half of the sandwich.

"Like what?"

"I dunno… I know I don't know her very well, but she seemed a little… off? Like she was here but not really? And her cheerfulness seemed a little forced, like she was avoiding something."

"You're right," Heero noted. "Her behaviour was unusual for her. Something must have happened at headquarters."

"Must be serious," Duo remarked. "She doesn't seem like the type to get rattled that easily."

Heero frowned.

"What? I'm right aren't I? I mean, she's a doctor and Wufei's companion. Not to mention I'm guessing she was a member of the Gundam Ten along with you, Wufei and Quatre."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's how you act around each other. Sally treats you with affection, she wouldn't do that unless she knew you well and I can tell that you respect her. Your interaction with Wufei shows a lot of trust and you read each other really well, like really good comrades. And Quatre, well little blondie is rich and smart, there's no reason for him to act like a complete air-head in the public eye unless he was leading a double life. Plus, he doesn't strike me as the type to sit back while others do all the work. Not to mention you all worked in that secret office under the Preventers. Am I wrong?"

"No, but you need to keep that information to yourself."

Duo laughed. "Who am I going to tell? My imaginary friend Bob?"

Heero frowned. "Who's Bob?"

Duo rolled his eyes, "The guy sitting on the couch that I tell all my deepest and darkest secrets to out of sheer boredom." He looked up in surprise when he felt Heero's dry palm land on his forehead.

"No fever," Heero muttered to himself. "How long have you been hallucinating? Maybe it's a side-effect of the vaccine?"

Duo slapped Heero's hand out of the way. "Still no sense of humour… it was a joke man, a joke. You know, J-O-K-E?" he spelt out slowly.

"You shouldn't joke about something so serious," Heero glared.

Duo shrugged. "Being so serious all the time can make a person crazy, or at least lead to a really miserable life. We all need our escapes and humour is mine. Just like I suspect denial is Sally's escape," Duo raised pointedly. "I don't know what happened but maybe someone should check up on her?"

Heero considered Duo's point for a moment before nodding curtly. "I will call Chang."

"Hey," Duo called after him as Heero moved towards the door to take his call outside. "Thanks again for lunch and you know… telling me about… well, you know. It's nice not to be completely in the dark…"

Heero nodded.

"Uh, wait! Is there anything I can do in the meantime? Maybe clean up or something?" he gestured towards the array of take-out containers. "I not really used to being so… useless and having nothing to do… it'd be nice to have something to do for a change."

"You can put the empty containers in the cleaning unit," Heero pointed to the rectangular machine. "They need to be cleaned before being returned to the café. Once you're done, I'm sure you can use the tablet Quatre gave you to check the news feeds or learn more about L1."

"Ok," Duo replied as Heero closed the door behind him. He quickly gathered up the empty containers from the coffee table and the kitchen countertop. He opened the cleaning unit Heero had pointed to and peeked inside. It looked straightforward enough and he stacked the containers and their lids inside. Closing it shut with a click he switched it on and the machine hummed to life. He stilled when he realized that the humming of the machine would be loud enough to mask the sound of some quick snooping.

He cast a glance towards the door before carefully opening all the kitchen cabinets and drawers and quickly scanning their contents. He didn't find anything other than dishes, utensils and boxes upon boxes for rations. Making a face, he turned his attention to the only locked drawer. He crouched down and carefully examined the lock, noting the fingerprint reader. He observed that it was top of the line lock, a simple mould of the fingerprint wouldn't work. Storing that information away for later he moved to the rest of the apartment.

Glancing back towards the door he could still hear the low murmuring of Heero's conversation but just as the humming of the machine masked the sound of his movements, it further masked the sounds of Heero's conversation. Deciding to risk it, he hurriedly examined the chest at the foot of the bed. Cursing under his breath, he noticed an even higher grade lock on the chest, nothing that he could crack it but it would take time and careful preparation. Obviously whatever was in the chest was highly valuable and he wanted to know what it was. Giving up for the time being, he moved to the wardrobe and quickly rummaged through its contents, observing 3 complete sets of sharply pressed Preventers uniforms, and finding nothing but underwear, a few pairs of jeans, T-shirts, tanks in the topmost drawers. Opening the bottom drawers he found rolled up socks and multiple pairs of spandex shorts. Duo frowned wondering what Heero would be doing in such skin-fitting garments.

Closing the wardrobe, he made his way towards the desk but it was futile. All the drawers were locked with the same fingerprint locks and he was smart enough to realize that Heero's computer and tablet were configured to his bio-signals. Any foreign bio-signature and the machines would shut down.

"Paranoid bastard," he muttered to himself before plopping down on the couch. Deciding to follow Heero's suggestion, he picked up the tablet Quatre had sent him and powered it on. He idly familiarized himself with the tablet's specs and operating system before connecting to the netsphere to test his boundaries. He noted that his access was limited to news sites, media channels and basic search functions. He also took note of the watchdog program that tracked his every move on the netsphere. Whoever had installed it - Quatre most likely – had made no effort to hide it. There was also a much more subtle secondary program installed to monitor any attempts to circumvent the watchdog and restrictions placed on his tablet.

"I guess Heero's not the only paranoid one," Duo mused. "But then again, that's probably why they managed to overthrow the S.A. from power."

'I'll play along with their rules… for now,' he thought to himself as began to casually browse the popular news feeds. "What the hell?" he exclaimed as he read through the trending headlines.

* * *

><p>"Long time no see."<p>

Catherine stifled a shriek as she clutched her bag close to her chest, trying to stay still as possible. Her eyes frantically searched her darkened apartment as she slowly dipped her hand into her bag and wrapped her fingers around cold metal.

"I heard you wanted to see me."

"Trowa?" she asked, unable to control the shaking in her voice. She took several faltering steps towards the voice, gun clutched tightly in her hand. "Trowa? Is that you?" She gasped as something green glinted in the dim light and hurriedly took aim.

"Finally going to put me down Catherine?" A small table lamp flared to life to reveal Trowa lounging nonchalantly, in a plush armchair.

Catherine lowered her gun and placed a hand over her furiously beating heart. "Don't do that! You half scared me to death!" she scolded breathlessly.

Trowa shrugged. "You know I like the dark," he replied smoothly. "You're late coming home from the lab."

Catherine placed the gun down on a side table and collapsed into the other armchair, still visibly shaken. "I finally managed to create a preliminary vaccine for the QR145 virus, and just as I was about to leave, the news broke and Preventers headquarters was thrown into pandemonium. You saw the news?"

"I did."

"You saw the body up close, didn't you? I know they're saying that it could be the work of some obscure cult or a deranged serial killer, but the wounds are inconsistent with that of a human killer using a blade unless it was a tool with multiple curved blades, but then there's the matter of the bite marks-"

"The picture leaked to the press was low quality, you couldn't have determined what type of wounds were inflicted from that photo," Trowa interrupted her.

"I was in the lab when the news broke," Catherine rushed to explain. "And since it was an attack against Preventers agents I was concerned so I accessed the lab's database for the autopsy photos. I know I shouldn't have Trowa, but listen, the wound patterns make it almost look like it the work of a wild animal. There was no animal trace but apparently Sally found traces of gundanium in the wounds. I know this is going to sound crazy Trowa but this just might be the work of a-"

"Bionic?" Trowa finished for her. "We know."

"You do? You've confirmed this?" Catherine sat up, an eager glint entering her eyes. "So it's true? Someone's finally been able to create a functioning bionic!" she exclaimed in awe. "That's amazing! Just imagine the intricacies involved, to merge man and machine!"

Trowa retained his relaxed and unconcerned pose, his voice remained soft and soothing but a steely glint entered his eye. "What tipped you off?"

"There was lots of chatter in the underground science community before I left L3." Trowa nodded for her to continue. "There was talk of a group of scientists attempting to revive the Bionics project."

"Who?"

"It was just rumours…" Catherine began but changed tack as Trowa shifted imperceptibly. "Off-shoot S.A. scientists funded by private backers. That's all I know, I swear!"

"You're a horrible liar Catherine," Trowa chided softly.

Catherine paled, her fingers bunching the material of her skirt. "About two years ago, I heard talk of progress in the creation a new gundanium alloy, one that was 78% resistant to rejection and degradation by the human body."

Trowa nodded for her to continue.

"And then… there was chatter of successful integration of fully robotic limbs in the place of prosthetics… and…" Catherine bit her lip. "And… about 8 months or so ago, I was approached anonymously for my opinion on cell regeneration to create tissue that would bind to metal. I didn't respond Trowa, I didn't, I swear!"

"I thought you told me that you were leaving that life behind," Trowa stated calmly. "That you were going to cut your ties to the underground scientific community."

"I did!" Catherine insisted. "All I've done is listened to the rumours from time to time, I was being industrious, keeping track of what was going on!"

"But why didn't tell me of these developments?"

Catherine slid from her seat and onto her knees in front Trowa. "Because you would have shut them down Trowa. They were achieving breakthroughs in medical science!" she pleaded as she placed her hands on his knees. "Think of what Bionic technology could contribute to our society! Just because the technology could be warped for unethical means, doesn't mean it should be destroyed. Can't you see how revolutionary this technology is?"

"You went behind my back Catherine."

"I know the killing looks bad Trowa, but it's just a single incident. I didn't realize that it was going to come to this! I had no way of knowing! And when I realized… that's why I called you Trowa! You have to believe me!"

"What about the cost?"

"The cost?" Catherine asked in confusion.

"The cost of this 'medical breakthrough'," Trowa leaned forward so that his face was inches from hers. "The cost, was hundreds of UNDIS lives. _Human_ lives Catherine, these Bionics were born from testing, no, torture on humans."

"I didn't know Trowa," Catherine sobbed, tears streaming from her grey eyes. "I swear, I didn't know!"

"Remember when I killed the 'Ringmaster'?" Trowa asked softly.

Catherine nodded frantically, her red curls bouncing wildly.

"And what did you promise me after I'd killed him?"

"That I would abandon all my research, leave my past life behind. That I would cut all my ties to the Ringmaster's associates and would remain loyal to you, only you. And I have Trowa, I have!" Catherine sobbed desperately.

"I know," Trowa soothed gently. "Which is why I know I can ask you to do something for me."

"Anything!" Catherine agreed hastily. "I would anything for you Trowa, you know that."

"I need another vial of lithium serum."

"What?" Catherine asked in shock. "I thought Sally was prescribing that for you. She told me she just gave you a vial last month. It should last you three months at least."

"It's losing its effect. I need more."

"Trowa, increasing the dose is only a short term solution. We could try alternative treatment, I could try and develop something with Sally-"

"No, I don't want the others knowing. This stays between us."

"Alright, I could develop something on my own, maybe a form of gene therapy, the treatment I was developing for you before was promising…" she faltered as Trowa's large hand grasped her wrists in a punishing grip.

Trowa held her gaze for a long moment before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I'm not yours to experiment on anymore Catherine."

He pushed her aside as he rose to his feet. "I'll be expecting the serum by tomorrow."

Catherine nodded her assent, shakily wiping the moisture form her cheeks.

Trowa slowly walked away and melted into the shadows. "Oh and Catherine," his voice drifted from the darkness. "Don't even think about tampering with the serum, I'll be able to tell."

The front door closed with a soft click and Catherine was left alone in a darkened apartment, quietly sobbing into her hands.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Bionics:<strong>_Humans with mechanical/robotic manipulations.

_AN: I hadn't planned on publishing a chapter until the end of April but I got caught by the writing but (which resulted in this monstrosity of a chapter and not a paper that's due in less than two days *sigh*. _

_Anyways, I wanted to focus on the darker aspects and shortcomings of the characters in this chapter. It's a personal preference, I don't like characters that are black and white. Some of you might not like where Trowa's character is going, but there is a purpose to it, plus I've always found him to be the most ruthless of the boys, he'd have to be to go undercover so often. _

_ Anyways, thanks for all the messages, reviews and reads! It's nice to know that people are reading (and hopefully enjoying) the story. _

_Next update won't be until the end of April at the earliest. Just the way life goes right now. Cheers! _


	20. Episode Nineteen: Acronyms

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Nineteen: Acronyms <em>_(January 11, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Heero ended his call with Wufei and leaned against the hallway wall outside of his apartment, wearily rubbing the bridge of his nose. The team was falling apart. Something had the usually unflappable Sally running away from the investigation into the Bionics, Noin was buried under a media frenzy, Wufei was stretched thin, Quatre was stuck on L4 and no one had heard from Trowa in days.<p>

Taking a deep breath he re-entered his apartment to find Duo's attention riveted by the tablet he held in his hands. He cursed inwardly when he remembered his suggestion that Duo preoccupy himself by checking the news.

"You guys are really screwed…" Duo commented, not looking up from the tablet.

Heero nodded mutely, taking a seat across from Duo.

"It's all over the news…" Duo continued, "The media is really going crazy with this. Have you seen the headlines?"

"No, Wufei just told me about the leak."

Duo silently passed his tablet over to Heero. "I was just thinking… that could have been me you know, torn apart like that."

Heero briefly examined the picture before returning the tablet to Duo. He'd already seen the photos that Trowa had sent him when he'd first processed the scene. The picture leaked to the press was blurry, obviously taken from a distance and many of the details were too vague make out. Unfortunately it didn't change the bloody and horrifying nature of the picture.

"The media's really going crazy with this, there are all sorts of theories floating around… and you're trending too."

Heero grunted in surprise. "I am?"

Duo skimmed through a few sites on his tablet before beginning to read out loud. "Supreme Minister visibly shaken by the politically motivated serial killer on the loose but Heero Yuy is conspicuously absent from her side."

Heero clenched his jaw as Duo continued to read.

"Earlier, we received breaking news of a derange serial killer on the loose. I, Natalia Brueger, was present with the Supreme Minster Relana Darlian-Pececraft when the news first reached her delicate ears. The Minister put on a brave face when she heard the news and her devoted staff rallied around her, but noticeably absent was Heero Yuy, colony-hero, member of the enigmatic Gundam Ten and the Minister's personal guard during the rebellion. We at the L1 Tribune have learned that shortly after the Peace Ceremony, Heero Yuy, now an official Preventers agent, had been re-assigned to new unknown duties. When asked for comment, newly-minted Commander Noin would only answer that his duties were highly important but classified. It makes one wonder what could be more important than the safety of our dearly beloved Supreme Minister. In the wake of these clearly motivated political killings, will the celebrated hero return once more to his sweetheart's side?" Duo looked up from his tablet as he finished reading.

"The Tribune is not a reliable news source. It is closer to a tabloid than a newsread," Heero stated in a bored tone although his posture remained tense.

Duo could see the anger rising in Heero as the man clenched and unclenched his fists but decided to bully forward. "Yeah… but all fiction is based in fact isn't it? I mean… they… that is…"

"No, Relena and I are not involved," Heero interrupted him abruptly.

Duo blinked. 'O-kay… that subject's clearly a landmine…' he mused to himself before switching tacks. " I was talking about the political connection… Are they on to something there?"

"Political connection?" Heero frowned and picked up his own tablet, switching it on and connecting to Nataku's servers. "Anderson was a second-cousin to a lower level senator, it's a tenuous connection at best…"

"What about being her personal bodyguard? Aren't you supposed to be out there protecting her instead of me?"

"No," Heero replied tersely. "She doesn't need my protection anymore. And this wasn't a political killing-"

"They were killed because they witnessed what happened that night…" Duo looked down again at the picture of Anderson's mangled body. "Am I next?"

"No. You're already dead," Heero stated matter of factly.

"Yeah… real reassuring," Duo muttered as they settled into an uncomfortable silence.

Duo chewed on his lip as he hesitated for a moment before bulling forward. "Hey, it's been bothering me for a while… Guess I shoulda asked this before we got hitched, but… I… er…" he trailed off as Heero fixed him with a steely glare.

"What?"

"Er… It's just that I always wondered about you and princess dove… but I guess it's none of my business? I mean… no big deal?" Duo grinned weakly.

"What about her?" Heero's glare intensified.

"Umm, well… why aren't you her guard anymore? I mean… she's clearly more important than lil' ole me. So why aren't you still guiding her?"

"Her personal staff is more than capable of protecting her. There is no direct threat to her person."

"Uh yeah but… I mean," Duo stumbled over his words trying to think of a way to skirt around the landmine topic without setting if off.

"We… no I owed her a debt. That is all," Heero stood abruptly and moved to the wardrobe to retrieve a duffel bag. "We are leaving now."

"Huh?" Duo exclaimed in surprise, by Heero's sudden changing of the topic. "Where are we going? What for?"

"I am…" Heero paused as he chose his next words carefully, "…stressed. And you need exercise." Without saying another word, Heero strode from the apartment, duffel bag hanging from his shoulder.

Duo stared after him open-mouthed, unsure of this sudden development. An impatient grunt from the hallway spurned him into motion and he dutifully trotted out after Heero and followed him into the elevator.

* * *

><p>Noin paced back and forth in the Preventers' large training hall, eyes flashing as she glared down the three ranks of rookies standing at attention. She let them sweat it out as she continued to pace, glaring daggers but not speaking a single word. She could see some of the rookies shaking in her boots while others stood obstinately, as though they were annoyed that they had been dragged into the training hall for the emergency roll-call.<p>

She finally stopped in front of one of these mulish rookies, staring him down before raising a brow. "Am I keeping you from something Agent?" she asked in a soft but deadly tone.

"We should be out there, tracking down the killer! The public is in a panic and-"

"And just _why_ is the public in a widespread panic?" Noin cut him off in an icily.

"Because there's a deranged serial killer on the loose." the rookie agent replied with a condescending look in his wide-set eyes.

Noin cocked her head to the side. "We do?" she asked with almost child-like innocence.

All the rookies in the room glanced nervously at each other, clearly concerned that their commander had lost her mind.

"Well _ma'am_," the rookie had the bad sense to continue arrogantly, "It's all over the news if you haven't noticed."

"It's all over the news?" Noin parroted. "Oh, it must be true then! Silly me, thinking that us as the Preventers would know what is really going on since we're the organization that's investigating the murders. What was I thinking!?" she giggled before all humour faded from her features and she spun to face all the rookies.

"As agents to the Preventers, you were all selected help protect and uphold the peace. As agents, you are supposed to be containing the terror, not adding to the fire!" she barked out. "The investigation team has yet to make an official determination on the deaths and yet I have _rookies_ running around in a panic like chickens with their heads cut off!" she roared.

"And not only that," she continued, resuming her march from one end of the hall to another, "I find that _someone_ leaked a photo to the press. And that _someone_ is in this room. Do you know why I know that?" she barked at a quivering agent, ignoring the fact that the rookie was too terrified to respond, "Because you agents are the only ones with access to the rookie housing, something we like to call 'investigative work' and 'fact'".

Noin turned sharply on her heel and faced the rookie agents, "Effective immediately you are all subject to a rotating curfew. When you are not on duty, you are confined to the dorms. All investigative duties have been curtailed, everyone has assigned patrolling duties. We will be increasing our presence in the city centre. You are not to talk to the media, you are not to discuss the case with any civilians. Any contact with the media will be grounds for immediate dismissal!"

A collective gasp echoed through the room.

Noin placed a hand on her hip and examined the fingernails on her other hand. "Of course, you could make it easier on yourselves and come forward with who leaked the photo..."

The rookies eyed each other nervously but no one came forward.

Noin sighed. "No volunteers? Very well, see you unit commanders at 19:00 to receive your new assignments. My door is always open should someone have a change of heart. Dismissed!"

The agents saluted in unison, some less enthusiastic than others, the mulish agent Noin had spoken to among them.

"Agent!" Noin called after him, snagging him by a beefy arm.

"Yeah Commander?" the agent replied in a bored tone as he looked down his nose at her.

"Your attitude leaves much to be desired Agent…?" Noin trailed off in question.

The rookie agent's eyes shifted to the left before replying. "Blake." A smaller agent flinched as he passed the large agent.

"Nice try," Noin snapped. "Agent Blake," she acknowledged the smaller rookie. "Please meet Helena in front of my office. You'll be assisting her for a special assignment." She turned her attention back to the bulky agent. "Agent Broermann," she hissed, pure steel in her voice. "Consider this an official reprimand. I hear that lavatories in the dorm require cleaning." She stalked out of the room, leaving Broermann staring after her in shock.

"What the hell?" Broermann gaped after Noin's retreating figure.

A tall lanky figure with a crooked nose that bore the results of multiple breaks approached Broermann and slung a friendly arm over his broad shoulders. "Burn man! You should watch yourself around the Commander, she never forgets a face. She may be a hot piece of ass but my dad says she's single-minded and ruthless when it comes to work."

Broermann slapped the offending arm off. "Shut it Kress, you'd dad's just a measly bureaucrat. Mine's a senator! That bitch is gonna pay!"

Kress laughed, his voice rich and hearty. "Good luck with that man, the Commander is the sister-in-law of the Supreme Minister!"

"She's what!?" Broermann sputtered. "But _he_'s been gone for ages!"

Kress shrugged. "Doesn't mean she isn't his companion. Hey, aren't you in deep shit with your dad? Wonder what'll happen when he hears about your reprimand," he smirked, bemusement flashing in his gray eyes. "I'll see ya around B-man," Kress mock-saluted, brushing back his dark bangs. "Or… not."

* * *

><p>"Sally?" Wufei pounded on the door. "Sally? I know you're in there!"<p>

Silence.

Wufei slammed his fist against the metal door. "Dammit, woman! Answer me!"

"She needs time… she needs quiet," a soft voice spoke from behind him. "She needs to be alone, to process things at her own pace."

Wufei glanced behind him, his fist still pressed firmly against the door, his knuckles beginning to bruise. "I need to know what is wrong. She's been behaving erratically all day."

"Given time, she will tell you, like she always does," the soft haired brunette replied, her brown eyes fixed on the roses in her hands.

"Lady, with all due respect…" Wufei gritted through his teeth.

The brunette gently stroked the silky petals of the roses in her hand. "I know you're worried, and I know that you care, but your anger and frustration isn't what she needs right now."

Wufei sighed heavily as he leaned back against the locked door. "You are right Lady," he spoke after a moment. "Thank you for reminding me of my temper. But I won't be leaving. Sally needs me right now, whether she'll admit it or not. You hear that Sally?" he turned his head and spoke towards the door. "You don't have to talk right now, but know that I am here. I will wait as long as you need."

Saying those words, he slid down to sit on the floor, preparing for a long wait.

The tall brunette chuckled. "You two were always too stubborn for your own good." She bent gracefully at the waist and handed Wufei a long-stemmed red rose. "For Sally when decides to come out. Now if you'll excuse me, I must tend to Master Treize's roses." With a swish of her long skirts, she disappeared back into the rose-filled atrium.

* * *

><p>"I wanted it done discretely!" the voice roared from the darkened vidphone. "But now it's all over the news!"<p>

Sweat beaded Duke Dermail's forehead as he struggled to come up with a reply. Behind him, Dorothy stood placidly behind him, the beginnings of a smile tilting the corners of her mouth.

"It won't be long now before the Preventers figure out the assassinations were carried out by our Bionics… if they haven't already!" the voice from the vidphone seethed. "What do you have to say for yourself Dermail? Do you truly believe yourself worthy of being part of our new world with this failure?"

Dermail paled as he prostrated himself in front of the vidphone. "Of course not Midek. It was an error in judgment, I should not have used the Bionics. I swear, I will make this right! I will make myself worthy! So please… please, give me another chance to right this wrong."

"Very well," the voice replied after a significant pause. "You have been loyal since the beginning and you still have your uses."

"Thank you Midek! I will not let you down!"

"I don't need to remind you of what will happen if you fail me again…" the voice warned ominously.

"Of course not Midek. I shall redeem myself, I swear!"

An audible click severed the connection. Dermail rested his head in his hands for several long moments while the slight smile on Dorothy's face had changed into a frown of disappointment. When her grandfather turned to face her, she wiped all traces of expression from her face.

"Why did you use the twins without telling me Dorothy?"

"I'm so sorry grandfather. You looked so worried, and the situation needed to be taken care of quickly. I didn't know it would go so wrong!" she wailed, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"The twins are volatile Dorothy. You must be wary of how you use them. What do you think would happen if Midek found out that you acted without consent?"

"I'm sorry grandfather. I really am… I just wanted to be useful to you…" a single tear trickled down her cheek.

Dermail sighed heavily as he leaned back in his armchair. "Don't ever be so reckless again!" he scolded her in a tired tone. "Just focus on your current mission: gaining access to Heero Yuy and Preventers through the girl."

"Yes grandfather," Dorothy replied dutifully. Exiting her grandfather's study, she scowled fiercely and stomped down the hall towards her room.

"Baby-sitting that simpering princess is a waste of my talents!" she spat under her breath.

Back in his study, Dermail remained slumped in his chair, staring sadly at a large family portrait hanging on the wall.

* * *

><p>Duo sat behind Heero on a small scooter as they sped down the narrow streets of Sanq, heading for, as best he could tell, the center of the city. The artificial light settings were cycling through the end of the 'dusk' phase and the colony was slowly darkening for the approaching night cycle.<p>

Heero hadn't spoken a word since they left the apartment. Duo tried to gauge Heero's expression from the scooter's side-mirrors but the tinted visor on his helmet only left the bottom half of Heero's face visible. Giving up, Duo turned his attention to the streets but he'd long past lost track of where they were. Tunnels and sewers he could navigate with ease, but after living underground for so long, he could hardly distinguish between the hundreds of skyscrapers stretching towards the colony sky.

Within minutes, Heero was turning into the underground parkade under a nondescript, grey skyscraper. The electric engine was silent as he smoothly dipped two floors down and into an unoccupied section of the parking structure. Cutting the engine with the touch of a button, he dismounted and Duo followed suit. Lifting up the seat, Heero retrieved his duffel from the storage space and deposited his helmet, motioning for Duo to do the same. Then, still without a word, he headed for the nearest elevator. Once inside, he swiped his ID chip and pressed the button for level 83. Duo noted that levels 70 and up were all labeled 'WEI Private Access ONLY'.

"So umm… where are we going?" he asked as the elevator doors slid shut.

"You'll see," was Heero's dry reply. Although his voice was calm and no-nonsense as usual, his body seemed to vibrate with an almost nervous energy, as though he was anticipating something to come.

Duo watched as the monitor as they passed the 40th floor mark. "Er… you're not taking me to some lab, or prison or execution chamber or something like that are you?" he asked as he laughed weakly at his own joke.

"No, we are going to Winner's private pools."

"Eh? Pools?" Duo furrowed his brow in confusion. "Whaddya mean by 'pools'? Like-" Duo's sentence was cut off as the elevator doors opened and his jaw dropped at the sight unveiled to him.

Just beyond the elevator doors lay a hallway lined with floor to ceiling aquariums. One side was lined with multiple smaller tanks filled with countless species of small colourful fish while the other side was lined with a single large tank containing larger species which swam idly from one end to the other.

"Coming?" Heero asked a stupefied Duo who remained open-mouthed in the elevator.

Shaking himself back into the present, Duo nodded dumbly and followed him into the hallway. Some of the tension seemed to have drained from Heero's body and Duo could almost swear that he saw a small smirk on Heero's face.

Walking down the long hallway, Duo started when a shadow passed overhead. Looking up in alarm, he caught the tail end of a flat shadow drifting serenely over his head.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. "There's tanks in the ceiling too? And what the hell was that?"

Heero glanced up briefly before replying, "That was a Manta Ray."

"A Manta what? Heh, never mind, I'll look it up later." Duo grinned as he overcame his shock and began to enjoy his surroundings.

Heero led then down the hall, pausing every once in a while as Duo exclaimed over the various types of fish, excitedly bouncing from tank to tank. Reaching the end of the hall, he opened the door to a locker room and placed his duffel on the nearest bench. Opening a spacious locker labeled 'Q.R.W.' in gold calligraphy, he retrieved a plush towel and robe.

Duo accepted the robe and towel, noting that the robe was monogramed in gold with the same 'Q.R.W.' "Is this blondie's, I mean, Quatre's?"

Heero nodded as he opened an adjacent locker labeled 'H.Y.' and removed a pair of goggle, flippers and towel. "I don't have an extra towel in my locker. He won't mind."

Duo nodded to himself as he stroked the plush material when he noticed that, unlike the robe, his towel was monogramed with a simple 'T.B' in dark green instead of 'Q.R.W'. "Who's T.B.?"

Heero froze for a moment before replying calmly, "Quatre's companion's initials. Trowa Barton."

"Oh… I haven't met him yet have I?"

"No," Heero replied curtly and quickly headed towards the stalls in the far corner of the room. "Change into these," he commanded as he held out a pair of black shorts to Duo, cutting off any further questions.

Duo stepped into the stall and grimaced at the black stretchy spandex. With a deep sigh, he shrugged out of his clothes and shimmied into the shorts. His grimace deepened as he caught sight of his bony frame in the mirror. His head, hands and feet looked disproportionate to his skinny body and his torso was still mottled with bruising from his run-in with the Bionics and his capture by the Preventers. Stepping out of the stall, his mood further darkened when he caught sight of Heero already changed into a similar pair of shorts and standing under the misting spray of a shower.

Heero grunted in acknowledgement and titled his head towards the showerhead next to him, indicating that Duo should shower as well. Complying, Duo couldn't help but miserably note the vast difference in their physiques. Heero's musculature was lean but well defined. If Duo didn't know any better, he would have thought that one of the Greek-themed sculptures he had once seen in the art databanks had come to life. Heero for his part didn't seem to notice Duo's envious gaze as he turned off the shower and began to stretch. The fine mist from Duo's shower turned off a few moments later and he remained where he was, awkwardly shaking some stray droplets from his skin.

"Let's go," Heero stated as he finished his stretches, picked up his towel, robe, goggles and flippers.

Duo followed him out the locker room - his borrowed towel and robe in hand - wet feet padding along the tiled floor. Exiting through the far door, Duo once again stopped dead in his tracks in shock. The large spacious room in front of him boasted a night view of the city with floor to ceiling windows. In three neat rows, there were twelve individual sized pools, each slightly larger than bathtub. Additionally, a long narrow pool snaked along the windows and several lounge chairs and a large hot tub in the corner completed the luxurious room.

"Holy shit!" Duo exclaimed when he finally found his voice. He could see a definite smirk on Heero's face now.

Heero led him to one of the individual-sized pools next to the hot tub and motioned for Duo to get in. Duo squatted down next to the pool and swished his fingers in the water with some trepidation.

"Uh… I don't know how to swim… Shit, I've never seen so much water before in my life!"

"Your feet will touch the bottom," Heero informed him with a gentle nudge.

Starting with his toes, Duo slowly slid into the pool while hanging onto the ledge for dear life until his feet touched the bottom. He blinked up at Heero as the water lapped around his collar-bone before breaking into a face-splitting grin.

"I'm in water! I'm completely surrounded by water! Who woulda thunk?" he laughed as he began splashing around like an exuberant child.

Heero watched indulgently from the side of the pool, a content expression on his face until he realized that Duo was about to submerge himself in the pool. He reached out to stop him but was too late; Duo had ducked his head under water with glee. Moments later, Duo resurfaced, spluttering and spitting.

"Blegh! Yuck! Ugh! It's salty!" he spat as he glared at Heero as though it was his fault.

"All pools in this row are salt-water pools," Heero informed him. "They have beneficial ions and provide greater buoyancy," he stated before Duo could ask him why.

"I dunno about beneficial but it tastes like crap," Duo muttered under his breath.

"You're not supposed to drink it," Heero replied stone-faced.

"Yeah, yeah. So now that I'm in, whatta my supposed to do?"

Heero flipped open a control panel next to the pool and set it to the lowest setting.

"Woah!" Duo yelped as the pool's jets turned on and he was slowly pushed backwards. When his back hit the end of the pool, a small alarm beeped and the propulsion system shut down.

"Just walk against the currents. The water will provide resistance but will be gentle enough on your joints that you can exercise for longer. If you hit the back-wall, the currents will stop automatically. The pool is also equipped with anti-drowning sensors so the pool will automatically drain if it detects that you are in distress," Heero instructed curtly before turning the currents back on to the lowest setting.

Duo dutifully began walking against the current at a slow and steady pace. Heero watched him for a few moments before slipping into the pool behind him. Duo heard the currents turn on in Heero's pool with a whoosh and the sounds of splashing were much louder in Heero's pool. He turned his head to look behind him but could only see large rhythmic splashes. As far as he could tell, Heero was completely submerged in the pool.

Twenty minutes later, Duo was battling exhaustion as he continued to trudge against the current. His arms and legs felt like lead. 'I can't believe walking in water can be so tiring', he thought to himself as his foot slipped and he hit the back wall of the pool. The alarm beeped and the currents shut off as Duo slumped gratefully against the side of the pool. Behind him, Heero's pool shut off and Duo could hear Heero's wet footsteps approach.

"You may have overdone it," Heero commented as he crouched next to Duo's pool. With minimal effort, he hooked his hands under Duo's arms and pulled him from the pool and depositing him on his shaky feet.

"Yeah," Duo muttered as he leaned against Heero for a moment to regain his balance, "that was brutal."

Heero grunted in reply as he steered Duo towards the hot tub. "Get in, the heat will help relax your tired muscles and prevent spasms."

As Duo settled himself in the tub, the jets bubbled to life. "Oh," he sighed in bliss as he sunk lower into the water, "this is nice."

Moments later he could hear the currents on Heero's pool turn on once more. Sitting up so he could look over the edge of the large tub, he looked down to see Heero furiously swimming against the strong current in his pool. He watched in amazement as Heero continued to swim tirelessly, almost looking as though he belonged in the water. Several long minutes later, the currents in his pool slowed and Heero resurfaced looking refreshed and content as he floated on his back. Feeling Duo's gaze, Heero smoothly pulled himself out of the pool, removed his flippers and began toweling off his hair.

"You should get out soon," he commented to Duo.

With a heavy sigh Duo climbed the steps out of the tub and accepted the robe held out to him. Shrugging it on, he flopped onto one of the lounge chairs in utter exhaustion.

"I will get us drinks," Heero announced as he walked back towards the locker room, his wet feet smacking against the tiled floor.

Duo wearily squeezed the water from his braid as he slumped in his lounge chair, dazedly staring out at the night view offered by the floor to ceiling windows.

"Damn… this is some view," he wondered aloud.

"Thank you."

Duo nearly fell off his chair as Quatre's face popped up on one of the windows. "Shit! Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, I noticed that someone was using the facilities and wanted to say hello," Quatre apologized unrepentantly. "I take it you've been swimming?"

"Uh not quite…" Duo stuttered. "Uh… I borrowed a robe, I hope that's ok," he pointed to the plush robe that was haphazardly draped over his body.

"Oh of course," Quatre smiled sweetly. "How are the pools?"

"Salty," Duo replied without thought. "Uh, I mean, they're great! Not that I really have anything to compare them to…"

Quatre dissolved into giggles. "Oh no! Don't tell me you tried to drink the water?" At Duo's half-glare, he smothered his laughter. "Heero has always been fond of the saltwater pool, it's practically in his DNA-" Quatre abruptly stopped mid-sentence but Duo didn't seem to notice. "The two rows of pools on the left are fresh-water," he explained, smoothly recovering from his misstep.

Duo nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I ever come back here. Say… are these your private pools?" he asked as he looked around at the deserted room.

Quatre shook his head. "Oh no, they're for the use of all WEI staff and guests. There's another floor below that houses a gym and the floor above you is the cafeteria. It's just empty right now because most of my staff returned with me to L4. Also, Heero's about the only one who uses the pools at this hour. Speaking of Heero, is he not with you?" Quatre asked politely but with a note of concern in his gentle voice.

"I'm here," Heero announced as he walked back in through the locker room with two canned drinks in hand. He handed one to Duo who popped it open and greedily guzzled down its contents.

"Hello Heero. Have a good swim?"

Heero nodded. "Yes, it was very effective."

Duo raised a brow at Heero's odd answer but Quatre seemed unfazed. "Any developments on your side?"

Heero shook his head. "I'm still waiting for the security logs from Howard's ships."

"Ah, you think you might be able to track the unauthorized cargo shipments by pinging off his security feeds? That could work. I've looked into what I can from this end and I'll be meeting with the senior management from Medici Bank tomorrow. A lot of the duplicate credits seem to be routed through there at one point or another."

"Posing as a customer?"

"Of course," Quatre grinned. "My ruse will be to pretend that I want to hide some 'personal' funds from my sisters."

"Does Trowa know you're doing this?"

Quatre's smile faltered slightly. "No. I haven't been able to reach him. He left me a message that he was tracking down some doctors and then he disappeared… again!" Quatre's expression hardened slightly. "I'll leave him a message letting him know what I'm up to," he announced.

"Quatre…" Heero warned. "He'll be upset when he finds out."

Quatre shrugged. "Turnabout's fair. If a simple message is good enough for me, it's good enough for him."

"Winner…" Heero growled.

"Fine!" Quatre sighed heavily. "I'll try to reach him again before I meet with them tomorrow. And I'll be bringing the Magnacs with me so I'll be fine! Anyways, I have to go. It was good to see you again Duo. You're looking much better!" Quatre pasted a smile on his face and waved jauntily before cutting the connection.

"Umm…" Duo fidgeted with his empty can. "What was that all about?"

"Don't mind Winner, he's just tired." Heero stood drinking his own drink by the window, towel draped around his shoulders.

"I see… and this 'Trowa' guy?"

"He's an agent, he often does undercover work," Heero replied curtly, the tone of his voice implying that he would refuse to elaborate further.

Squirming uncomfortably in the awkward silence, Duo felt a familiar weight in his robe pocket and pulled out his little black box, noting that he had unconsciously transferred it from his overalls pocket to the robe. Shaking it out of habit, he read the two words that appeared momentarily on the small battered screen.

'_Uncomfortable Distance_'

"Couldn't be truer," Duo muttered under his breath.

"What is that exactly? Howard said it was harmless but he didn't give us any specifics." Heero came to perch on the side of Duo's lounge chair, eyeing the device intently.

"Just a random word generator," Duo replied as he handed the small black device to Heero.

Heero accepted it and gave it several experimental shakes, reading the screen in confusion each time. "What is its purpose? Is it to create passcodes?"

"Nah… no real purpose really. Although… I guess you could call it a toy? Heh, not even that really. It's just an inside joke between me n' Solo."

Heero raised an inquiring brow, waiting for Duo to continue.

"Hey, do ya know what UNDIS stands for?" Duo asked, his tone flippant but tinted with something darker.

"Unauthorized Disadvantaged," Heero recited from memory.

"Yeah," Duo remarked sadly. "I didn't know what it stood for when I was little. Most people don't… they just know it's something undesirable. I mean… if ya think about, both 'un' and 'dis' usually point to something negative. Anyways, I always used to ask Solo what UNDIS meant, and he'd always give me a different answer. Later, he made this word generator for me. I think he made it out of exasperation because my vocab was horrible… I never was one for studying. Anyways, it became a game for us, to come up with all these different things 'UNDIS' could stand for..."

"All the words generated start in either 'un' or 'dis'," Heero observed after hearing Duo's explanation.

"Yeah… now I just use it out of habit, it's the only thing I have left of Solo…."

Heero remained silent, uncertain of how to respond.

"Ya know," Duo remarked after a long silence. "Even though it's just a word generator… sometimes it's eerily prophetic to the situations I find myself in… sometimes it's even warned me of danger. I like that think it's Solo's spirit looking after me… but that's just me seeing things I wanna see…"

Heero turned the worn black box over in his hands once more before returning it to Duo. "I wish I'd had a chance to meet Solo," he commented quietly.

"Heh, yeah," Duo chuckled. "He woulda found ya an odd one but he woulda liked you I think."

Heero nodded silently, his gaze fixed on some invisible point outside the window. Duo was shocked to see a mournful expression on his usually stoic face.

* * *

><p>Wufei sighed as removed his glasses and closed the lid of his laptop.<p>

"We have a perfectly functioning front door you know," he told the darkened room in an exasperated tone.

Trowa snapped the window shut behind him and silently seated took a seat at the dining table without a word.

"I knew we should have rented a unit in a building without balconies," Wufei muttered under his breath. "I suppose I should offer you some tea?" he asked in a louder tone.

"Thank you," Trowa inclined his head. "And where would you grow your herbs without a balcony?"

Wufei scowled as he pulled up two mugs and a canister of tea from a kitchen cupboard. "If it would keep you from strolling in whenever you please, I could deal without my herbs…"

"Really?" Trowa rested his chin on his hand, completely at ease in Wufei's apartment. "I don't think you could… and it wouldn't stop me anyways."

"I suppose not," Wufei replied as he set down two steaming mugs of tea. He pushed his laptop to the side and took the seat across from Trowa.

"Sally asleep?" Trowa asked after taking a sip from his mug.

"Yes, she had a very… distressing day."

"Mmm… so what area of expertise did the 'doctors' contact her for? Nerve regeneration, integration of artificial nervous systems?"

Wufei set his mug down with a clatter. "How did you know?" he exclaimed.

"It is her specialty," Trowa replied simply.

"But how did you know she had been contacted?" Wufei demanded, his anger rising.

"Catherine was too."

"What?"

"Yes, she seemed to know that the murders were the work of Bionics. When I questioned her about it, she confessed to being consulted by some of her former colleagues."

"So we know who the perpetrators are? Sally said that she was approached by some scientists from the medical research team at the Hobstetter Institute but I can't find any such institute in any of the databanks," Wufei exclaimed excitedly as he re-opened his laptop.

"The Hobstetter Institute?" Trowa repeated quietly. "I've never heard of them…"

"Sally hadn't either but they seemed legitimate and apparently they were registered as an independent research institute when she looked them up… but that was two years ago and I can't find any trace of them now!"

"So they set up a smokescreen and erased their tracks."

"Exactly. But if it's Catherine's former colleagues, we can-"

"It couldn't have been them," Trowa interrupted softly.

"But you just said she was contacted by her former colleagues…" Wufei faltered, fingers posed over his keyboard.

"She thought it was her colleagues that contacted her," Trowa corrected. "But that's impossible."

"Why?"

"They're dead," Trowa informed in calmly.

"There can be no mistake?"

"No."

Wufei silently regarded him for several seconds before quietly guessing, "You killed them?"

"Five years ago."

Wufei sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And long before either Sally, and I'm guessing Catherine, were ever contacted. So we have nothing?"

"Not quite. We know how they managed to create Bionics without attracting any attention…"

Wufei sat up straight as he picked up Trowa's train of thought. "They were outsourcing to unwitting accomplices!"

"Exactly."

"They divided up the various research areas, disguised them as work for something else and contacted various experts for 'help'. That way, they could keep knowledge of the project to a minimum and would only need a very small group of core scientists to piece the information together to create the Bionics," Wufei deduced, shaking his head. "Just like Frankenstein's monster…"

Trowa raised a brow at the mention of Frankenstein.

"A novel written in the 20th century AD where a mad doctor created a monster by piecing him together," Wufei explained.

"Hmm," Trowa responded although he didn't seem very interested. "So what ruse did they use to get Sally's attention?"

Wufei clenched his fists angrily. "They claimed to be researching artificial nerve regeneration for injured rebels and children."

"So they knew her weakness," Trowa mused. "It was the same for Catherine. They knew her single-minded focus for scientific development would blind her to any deception. She even realized that they might be building Bionics but kept quiet because it fascinated her…"

Wufei looked up in alarm. "An insider?"

Trowa shrugged. "Not necessarily, Catherine has always had ties to the underground medical community; it's no secret that she would turn a blind eye for the sake of scientific advancement. Sally too, is famous for her work with rehabilitative work with rebels and children."

"Still, someone had personal knowledge of both Sally and Catherine… we should determine if any other medical experts have been contacted… But first we need to narrow it down to determine which medical technologies and techniques they would target and locate the leading experts in those fields and… Damn!" Wufei swore in frustration. "Who can we ask to help us compile this list? Sally and Catherine are out of the question and-"

Wufei stopped his ranting when Trowa casually tossed a data chip at him. Catching it, he stared at Trowa in confusion.

"I've already had a list made up," Trowa clarified. "I had a doctor who owed me a favour."

"You shared the data we have on the Bionics!?" Wufei began to shout before remembering that Sally slept in the next room. "Have you lost your mind?"

"It's fine," Trowa interjected smoothly. "He owed me a favour. And he knows better than to betray me."

Wufei gave him a sharp look but decided to make no further comment on Trowa's methods. At best they were creative, at worst they were terrifying but either way, it always clashed with Wufei's by-the-book approach. He decided the switch the topic instead.

"Thank you for sparing Sally… Sally is… well that is…" he began to thank Trowa awkwardly but Trowa waved him off.

"I supposed as much. First Walker and now her involuntary contribution to creating the Bionics; her confidence must be shaken, especially for her to retreat to the atrium."

"How did you know?"

Trowa pointed a finger to the single long-stemmed rose sitting in an ornate ceramic vase.

"You are as perceptive as ever," Wufei commented wearily.

Trowa shrugged and stood from his seat. "I'll leave the list with you. I'm sure Nataku can analyse the electronic tracks, narrow the list down to a few individuals that need to be interviewed."

"Yes and- Barton! Do you have something against using doors?" he demanded in exasperation as Trowa prepared to leave through the window.

"You never know who's watching."

"You'd think someone scaling the side of a building would be far more noticeable than someone exiting the building…" Wufei grumbled to himself.

"People have a bad habit of never looking up," was Trowa's cryptic reply before he slid the window closed behind him.

* * *

><p>Heero shut down his computer after reading the curt message from Wufei. He rubbed his forehead wearily and blinked the sleep from his eyes. He glanced towards the couch where he had been sleeping for the last few days and then towards the bed where Duo was fast asleep with only his braid poking out from under the covers. His swim in the pool earlier had relaxed him and he was fighting off the urge to fall into a deep sleep. Tension and stress had made him a light sleeper for the past few days, plus the fact that the couch was between the bed and the door had ensured that he would awaken if Duo made a run for it, but that would not be the case if he fell into a deep sleep.<p>

Contemplating his situation with a deep frown on his face, Heero finally made his decision and cautiously approached the bed. Duo was curled in on himself, facing the wall. There was just enough space for Heero to stretch himself out next Duo. Heero carefully eased himself into bed, wary of waking Duo but the braided man didn't even stir.

Heero told himself that by being so close to do, there was no way he wouldn't wake should Duo leave the bed. After all, the leave the bed, Duo would have to climb over him. Content with that knowledge, Heero allowed himself to drift off into the first deep sleep in a very long time.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hello, hello. Yes, it has been quite a while and this update is VERY VERY late. Sorry! Just seems like there are never enough hours in a day. Thanks for all your kind messages, comments and feedback! I really really REALLY do appreciate them and they help me a lot with my writing. And to those of you who are still reading this story, thanks so much!<em>

_I know nothing super exciting in this chapter, but it's all background and build-up for a major plot development in the story. Mostly fleshing out of characters and lots and lots of hints for future events. My main goal is to be able to have readers be able to look back after the big reveal and go "Oh! So that's what the hint was!" etc... Yeah.. I may have bitten off more than I can chew. _

_Anyways, I'm still steadily plodding along. I hope you'll continue to read this story and I look forward to your comments/feedback! _


	21. Episode Twenty: Confrontations

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Twenty: Confrontations <em>_(January 12, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Heero awoke to the sensation of something burrowing against his side. The burrowing became more insistent and before he could awaken fully, he was flipped off the side of the bed. Instincts kicking in, he managed to brace his arms to prevent his face from striking the floor. Finally fully awake, he pushed himself to his knees just in time to see Duo wriggle into the spot Heero had involuntarily vacated. With a content sigh, Duo fell back into a deep sleep, lulled by the lingering warmth Heero had left behind.<p>

Scowling, Heero pushed himself to his feet and stretched the lethargy out of his limbs. Considering Duo's sleeping figure, he made his way to the apartment's heat controls and checked the room's temperature. Temperatures had little effect on him, especially the cold. Duo, however, seemed very susceptible to the cold. Keying in a higher default temperature, Heero closed the cover to the controls and moved to the kitchen. Moving mechanically, he retrieved a gel pack from the refrigeration unit and sucked down its contents in one gulp. Discarding the drained pack, he moved to his desk and booted up his computer, and began typing a list of requested items to Howard.

* * *

><p>Relena stared dejectedly out the window, watching the artificial sky gradually brighten into soft pink and orange hues. She sighed deeply and hugged her silk-clad knees closer to her body. A pink-coloured tablet was thrown carelessly on the wooden table next to her, the screen displaying the trending headlines about the murder of the two rookie Preventers agents.<p>

A sharp knock at the door broker her out of her reverie.

"Ms. Relena, it is time to wake up," Dorothy called from the other side of the door. A moment later the door opened and Dorothy stepped sedately into the room. "Oh? Have you been up all night Ms. Relena?" she asked, taking in Relena's wrinkled nightgown and the dark circles under her eyes.

"I couldn't sleep," Relena responded tiredly.

"You must be so terrified," Dorothy stated with false sympathy. "To think that there is such a deranged, politically-motivated serial killer on the loose. I wonder where he'll strike next?"

Relena shivered visibly and glanced at the vidphone before rising from her chair and making her way towards the closet. "The meeting with the newly appointed Senate members is today isn't it?" she asked in a shaky tone. "I suppose I should wear a suit…"

"You weren't able to reach him?" Dorothy inquired knowingly.

"No," Relena sighed. "He never answered. I left messages too but he hasn't responded."

"Have you contacted Ms. Noin?"

"Yes, she said that he was doing fieldwork and couldn't always be reached," Relena replied quietly, a slight tremor running through her hands as she sorted through her many suits.

"Hmmm," Dorothy hummed noncommittally as a calculating gaze entered her eyes. "You want to see him yes?"

"Yes," Relena answered softly. "I know it's childish… but even just seeing him for a moment would make me feel better, especially with everything that's happened recently. I just got so accustomed to having him next to me, protecting me…"

"Oh course," Dorothy soothed. A sly smile blossomed on her face. "Why don't we pay him a visit then?"

Relena turned to face Dorothy, her mouth forming a perfect 'O'. "Pay him a visit? Where?"

"At his home of course," Dorothy replied with false cheerfulness.

"His home… but…" Relena faltered, clearly taken aback.

"He has to go home at some point right? If we drop by for a visit, if we're lucky, we just might be able to meet him."

"Oh… I never thought of that." Relena considered the idea with growing enthusiasm. "Do you know where he lives Dorothy?"

"Well, no," Dorothy admitted.

"Oh," Relena's growing excitement deflated at once. "I suppose I could ask Lucrezia?"

"Let's not bother Ms. Noin for now, she has her hands full with her investigation," Dorothy suggested hastily.

"But then how will we find out where Heero lives?" Relena asked mournfully.

"City Hall of course!"

"City Hall? But even if we go to City Hall, Heero's information is all shielded by the Veteran's Privacy Act…"

"My dear Ms. Relena," Dorothy chuckled. "You forget that you are the Supreme Minister! Now, you have nothing pressing after the meeting with the new Senators. Let us go to City Hall after the meeting and then we can go see your prince charming."

"Yes, let us go see Heero!" Relena exclaimed happily as she hurried to get ready for her meeting, her spirits high.

Behind her Dorothy scowled angrily. "Too easy. The silly girl doesn't even present a challenge."

* * *

><p>Howard stroked his beard thoughtfully as he checked virtual messages. "Lemme see, hmmm… salvage operations on L3 are going well… the contract for the factory on the moon needs to be renewed and… hullo! Mail from my chickies!"<p>

Howard's grin of delight turned into one of confusion. "Barton and Chang want to know if I know any engineers that would be capable of designing a softer alloy of Gundaminum? What in the world are those boys up to…"

Shaking his head, he filed the message away to be dealt with later. "Let's see next, hmm… another request from Heero for our flight logs and additional surveillance data.. and oh! A request for purchase and delivery. That makes two this month!"

"Let me see," Howard muttered under his breath. "Another crate of apples, heated blankets, more rations… huh, how interesting, pre-packaged meal packs… boots, winter jacket… huh?" Howard's brows shot up. "Live marine fish? Saltwater aquarium tank, tank accessories…? What in the colonies is he thinking?"

Howard's mutterings over the strange list of requested items was interrupted by the beeping of his vidphone. Still shaking his head over the strange list, Howard answered the call and the large screen on his office wall blinked to life.

"I assume someone with your educational background would know that there's a time a five hour time difference between L1 and L4…"

"Good morning Howard!" Quatre smiled cheerfully through the vidphone connection. "It's already seven-thirty there!"

"Don't 'good morning' me! I know that look!" Howard peeked over his glasses at the screen. "Spit it out chickie, what kind of trouble are you going to rope me into today?"

"How would you like to buy a colony?"

"What?!" Howard sputtered, rising from his seat. "Why would I want a colony? More importantly, there's a colony up for sale!?"

"Mmmhmmm," Quatre hummed happily. "L2 with all its cluster satellites."

"How in the galaxies is L2 up for sale!?" Howard demanded angrily.

Quatre raised his hands in placation. "I'm sorry Howard, I'm putting it too simply. The bidding for the contract to rebuild L2 is up for sale. But you know as well as I do that it's basically the same thing. He who holds the contract, owns the colony."

Howard huffed. "That still doesn't explain why the contract is already up for grabs!"

"Well, it's quite clever really. Some Senate members managed to push it through under the Peace Measure Act-"

"Eh?"

"It's a law that allows the Senate to fast-track any law or governmental action if it can be shown that it's for the sake of keeping public order," Quatre recited as though from memory.

"Come again?"

"In a nutshell, they justify keeping things from the public under the guise of not upsetting the citizens of the colonies."

"Huh… I knew there was reason I never did like politicians… so how did you manage to get wind of the contract sale?" Howard asked with a note of admiration in his voice.

"I might have overheard a little something while I was visiting the Sedici Bank today…"

"Sedici? I thought the Winners knew better than to deal with them!"

"Oh we don't. I was just there to follow the footsteps of an assassin!" Quatre informed him cheerily.

Howard held up his hand and shook his balding head wearily. "Stop! I don't even want to know… so why would I want to buy the contract for L2?"

"The salvage opportunities?"

Howard snorted. "Try again. We already get first dibs on all salvage operations without having to buy entire colonies."

"Ah well, it's a little embarrassing to say but…" Quatre squirmed uncomfortably. "I don't have quite enough capital to pull it off."

"Eh?" Howard's jaw dropped open in shock. "Did I miss something? Last time I checked the net worth of WEI is eons more than that of us humble Sweepers."

"Well, WEI won't be able to take part in the bidding due to political reasons-"

"And you think the Sweepers can? Oh no, I'd like to keep my boys out of politicking as much as possible thank you very much."

"Ah, I was thinking that it would be more of a loan…" Quatre smiled sheepishly.

"A loan?"

"Yes, I've been steadily working to build my own personal assets, but it's a little challenging when the financial world has been following my every move. I've had to make all my financial gains look like dumb luck you see…"

"Ah, so it's not WEI or the Sweepers but your alter ego, the spoiled Winner heir, that's going to be doing the bidding."

Quatre nodded. "I knew you'd catch on Howard!"

"What are you planning?" Howard pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Well, I'll put in the bid of my own-"

"Hold on a second, won't it be suspicious that you know about the bidding?"

"I'll let them know that I overheard them and that I want in. I'll throw some sort of tantrum, pretend that I'm trying to gain independence from my sisters. I'm betting that they'll let me win the bid in the belief that they can control or influence me. "

"Eh? Who are you bidding against exactly?"

"I'm not quite sure. All I know is that it's the same people who paid for Duo's assassination. The account also matches up to one that's been part of the cloned-credit scheme. If I can convince them that I'm a spoiled brat that wants to buy a colony just to assert my independence, I think they'll be more than happy to let me win the bid so they can attract as little attention as possible."

"So those scum are still scrambling around?" Howard frowned. "Fine, count the Sweepers in. Let me know when you've got all the details sorted out."

"Thank you Howard!" Quatre exclaimed happily. "Oh, and I can I trouble you for one more favour?"

Howard made an act of sighing in exasperation. "As if lending money to the heir of WEI isn't enough?" he joked.

"I just want to apply a little pressure on the bidding… could you start making inquiries about L2 and its reconstruction plans? You know, ask about salvage contracts and what not. Just enough to make whoever's behind this nervous and hasty in their decision-making."

"You got it chickie… oh, gotta go, I've got a call on the other line! Watch your back, I don't need to tell you that the Sedici will drain you dry before you can blink an eye."

"Of course, and thank you again Howard!" Quatre's screen flickered out and was replaced by another.

"What can I do for you on this fine morning Commander?" Howard asked genially.

"Sorry to be calling so early Howard," Noin began with an apology.

"Ah, no worries. I think I'm starting to get used to being called early in the morning for favours."

"I didn't realize that I'd made it a habit to call you in the mornings… I'm-"

"Oh no, it's not just you Commander," Howard waved off his concern. "I'm just popular this morning," he teased with an exaggerated wink over the rim of his glasses.

"I see…" Noin seemed at a loss.

"You OK there Commander?" Howard's mirth disappeared when he noticed her worn, pale face and the exhausted slump of her shoulders.

"Yeah, just a little overwhelmed I guess. Heero finding the UNDIS and suddenly taking him as his companion, losing our underground headquarters, discovering the creation of the Bionics and now dealing with murder within the Preventers dorms… I don't even want to get into the political mess I'm facing right now."

"Well I've got good news for you then!" Howard grinned. "I think I've got a new location for your headquarters. I assume you're calling me about that right?"

"Yes," Noin responded with a note of hope in her voice. "You said you've found a new location?"

"More than that," Howard crowed. "I've just finished securing! And you're going to love it."

"Where?"

"The old Krushrenada properties. I've managed to wrangle the property deeds away from some grubby Senator's hands. I've officially zoned it as the new L1 Sweepers offices."

"The Krushrenada properties?" Noin's jaw dropped open. "But.."

"It's a well-kept secret that the Krushrenadas' built an interconnected compound below all their buildings. Even better is that we've finished up plans to connect Treize's atrium to the sub-ground compound. He'd apparently had plans of doing the same thing in his lifetime so the work will be easy as talking a baby on a spacewalk! We'll take the above-ground properties and you can have all the sub-ground structures plus the atrium. You should be able to move into your new headquarters in the next day or two."

Noin was silent for a few moments, fighting the welling tears in her eyes. "I- I, sorry I don't know what's gotten into me," she hastily wiped away a tear that dared to trickle down her cheek. "It's just so overwhelming to have something go right when everything else is going so wrong… Thank you so much Howard, I don't know what we'd do without you or the Sweepers."

"Ah well, I love to meddle. I think it's one of the perks of old age," Howard chuckled merrily to himself.

Noin glanced off to the side, "Duty calls, sorry to cut this short Howard. Can you contact the others about this? I'm afraid I've got my hands full for the rest of the day."

"No problem. But before you go, can I ask for a favour?"

Noin nodded curtly, her attention divided between the call and something happening out of the camera's range.

"Let me give him a nice sock in the jaw whenever he decides to show up?"

Noin smiled wanly. "I'm afraid you'll have to stand in line…"

Howard guffawed. "Doesn't surprise me one bit. Poor fella's in for one bruising when he gets back."

Noin's smile widened for a moment. "He sure is. Goodbye Howard."

Howard sighed and scratched his head as the vidscreen turned blank. "Well… today's shaping up to be an interesting day. Hey fellas!" he shouted to men who were starting to trickle into the office. "Time for the morning meeting, we've got lots on our plate today."

Grumbling at the early hour, men and women in coveralls emblazoned with the Sweepers logo took their seats, coffee cups in hand.

"Ok then," Howard began the meeting by consulting his tablet. "First up, our regular order of business: We need to renew the contract for our scrap processing plant on the moon. Additionally I'll be dispatching a third crew to L3 to help out with salvage operations, I'll be posting the crew list later. We'll be beefing up security on our cargo ships plus installing surveillance equipment on all Sweepers craft. If anyone witnesses any suspicious or off-course craft, let me know right away but do not in any way engage with them. I also want a list of any chemical engineers and metallurgists that we've ever worked with. Oh, and keep your ears to the ground and let me know if you've heard any chatter of Gundanium alloy."

Howard paused for a moment to scroll down on his table. "The shipping division will be receiving several special purchase orders. I want them filled as quickly as possible and have them loaded onto the cargo ships we have docked at the warehouse satellites if possible. The reconstruction crew will begin work at the Krushrenada properties today to finish up the underground compound. Also, as announced previously, we'll be moving to our new office space on Krushrenada grounds within the week. We'll also be partnering with the Preventers in the sub-ground compounds. The compound plus the atrium will be their domain exclusively. This move is to be kept strictly classified."

Howard waited for the excited murmurs to subside before continuing. "I also want schematics drawn up for potential salvage plans of the L2 cluster, I want the official blueprints for the colony and all satellites in by the end of today! Rumours are that bidding for the reconstruction contract is going up for bids soon so I want to be prepared to submit our proposals for the salvage sub-contracting as soon as the bid goes through. I don't need to tell you that those schematics need to be iron-clad. You never know what those slimy politicians will resort to."

"Any questions? No? Alright folks, let's get to work!"

The Sweepers rose from their seats, consulting tablets, finishing off their coffee and sharing morning gossip.

One burly Sweeper scratched at his stubble while considering his tablet filled with the morning meeting's notes. "Jeez… you'd think we're inter-colonial spies… not salvagers."

A petite woman punched him lightly on the arm. "You didn't know? We're salvagers by day but superheroes at night!"

* * *

><p>"I-I… I… s-sorry Mi-minster b-but-" the terrified clerk stuttered.<p>

"I'll take care of this Mindy," a stern-faced woman her in fifties ushered away the petrified young woman. "I'm so sorry Minister, Ms. Catalonia, you'll have to excuse Mindy, she is young and new to the job."

"Oh it's fine," Relena smiled graciously. "I'm afraid we've given her a bit of a scare, suddenly dropping in like this."

"Thank you for your understanding Minister. My name is Leanne Veiga, Director of City Records. How may I be of assistance today?"

"I would like the address of Heero Yuy's residence," Relena pasted on her politician's smile.

Leanne Veiga, to her credit, did not show her surprise at the strange request. "Of course Minister. One moment please," her fingers flew efficiently over the keyboard as she executed the search.

A moment later the computer let out an ominous beep. "I'm sorry Minister but Mr. Yuy's records have been sealed under the Veteran's Privacy Act."

"Ms. Veiga," Dorothy interjected sharply. "You do realize Ms. Relena is the Supreme Minister. She has an unequivocal right to access that information."

"Of course," Leanne Veiga replied, unruffled. "We will need complete of 'release of information' application. I can start the paper work for a U7 form and contact a judge to process the application with all due haste."

Leanne Veiga reached for the vidphone but stopped when her hand was grasped by Dorothy. "There's no need to go troubling a judge over this matter. I'm sure they are busy enough as they are."

"But we must follow procedure," Leanne Veiga protested.

"Ms. Veiga," Dorothy cajoled in her silkiest tone. "We came today on a personal matter. We've received word that Mr. Yuy is recuperating at home from an injury and Ms. Relena is very worried about his well-being and would like to visit him personally. As you must be aware, Mr. Yuy and Ms. Relena are engaged in a courtship. Due to a horrible oversight on my part, I failed to obtain Mr. Yuy's new address after he had moved."

"You could always call Mr. Yuy…" Veiga stated doubtfully.

"Oh but we want to make it a surprise!" Dorothy smiled prettily. "Ms. Relena has a rare afternoon off and Mr. Yuy is terribly shy about these matters."

When Leanne Veiga looked like she would still object, Dorothy shot Relena a pointed look.

"Please Ms. Veiga," Relena pleaded. "I do realize this is very unorthodox but I would appreciate it ever so much if you would make an exception just this once."

Unable to refuse Relena's pleading gaze, Leanne Veiga finally relented. "Very well, just this once. Let me print out his general information for you."

Dorothy held her tongue as the woman entered one of the back offices to retrieve the print-out. She would have preferred an electronic copy that would, with some expert hacking, grant her access other portions of Heero Yuy's file. She didn't dare push her luck, however, sensing that the woman would sound the alarm if she asked for anymore.

"Here is the information you requested." Leanne Veiga returned with a folded sheet of paper which Dorothy accepted and promptly dropped into her purse.

"I will meet you at the car Ms. Relena," she told Relena as she motioned for their bodyguard to take her away.

With Relena safely out of earshot, Dorothy turned back to Leanne Veiga with a sickly sweet smile. "I hope you will keep our visit today to yourself Ms. Veiga. It wouldn't be fair for Ms. Relena's political opponents to use her affection for Mr. Yuy against her. After all, you only have one first love, don't you agree Ms. Veiga?"

Leanne Veiga gave her a sharp look. "I do not make a practice of gossiping," she sniffed disdainfully.

Dorothy's left eyebrow twitched but she retained her smile. "Thank you again for your assistance Ms. Veiga."

* * *

><p>"Oh wow!" Duo exclaimed as he continued to read from his tablet. "An average Manta Ray can grow to a width of 7 metres*! There were even sightings of ones over 9 metres! Oh shit! And they can weigh over a tonne! Shit, their bottom jaw has over 18 rows of teeth!" Duo scrolled through some pictures. "How big do you think the one at Quatre's is?"<p>

Heero shrugged as he continued to fast forward through surveillance footage. "Probably not that big," he replied distractedly.

Duo continued to read in silence for a few moments but he was soon exclaiming over a new tidbit he had just discovered. "Hey, did you know that Mantas would visit 'cleaning stations'? Check it out, it's a place in the ocean where 'cleaner fish' remove parasites from the skin, mouth and gills of Mantas and other fish. Who would thunk! Mother nature is pretty amazing… too bad Earth's uninhabitable now…"

Heero grunted a noncommittal reply.

"I wonder how the resurrection efforts on Earth are going? Do you think Earth will ever be inhabitable again? Think of how amazing it would be able to go back to Earth again, even for a visit!" Duo continued to chatter, seemingly not concerned with Heero's lack of response.

Heero suddenly stopped his scrutiny of the Sweepers surveillance feeds and froze, listening intently. Sensing Heero's sudden change in mood, Duo stopped midsentence and regarded Heero with growing concern. Cocking his head to the side, he tried to gauge what Heero was listening to. Faintly, he could pick up the sounds of heels clicking against the floor and two female voices engaged in conversation. He shifted his focus back to Heero, wondering why he would be so alarmed by the presence of two women in the hallway.

"What-" he began to ask but was cut off when Heero covered his mouth with lightning fast reflexes.

Heero's eyes scanned the apartment, focusing first on the adjoining bathroom, the delivery compartment, and then on the closet. Seemingly coming to a decision, he swung into action. Pulling Duo to his feet, he wrenched open the closet and pushed his hanging uniforms to the side, clearing a man-sized space.

Duo raised a brow when he realized Heero's intention. "You want me to go in there!?" he whispered in indignation.

A hard shove was his answer and Duo tumbled into the wardrobe. Heero hastily arranged his hanging uniforms to cover him while Duo could only gape at him in shock. Heero began to close the closet doors but in a brief moment of consideration, he grabbed a cushion and blanket from the couched and dropped them on Duo's crouched form.

"Stay here and be quiet!" he hissed at Duo before closing the doors.

Grumbling to himself, Duo shifted to sit on the cushion and drape the blanket around himself. 'If I'm gonna be stuck in a closet, I might as well make myself comfortable," he thought to himself. He could only guess that those two voices were coming to this apartment and he couldn't risk being discovered.

Heero briskly moved about the apartment, concealing all traces of Duo. Just as he finished putting away the plate Duo had used fordinner, the apartment's buzzer sounded. The entrance monitor blinked to life, projecting the image of two blonde heads. With a grimace, he wrenched open his door.

"Heero!" Relena cried happily.

Heero didn't reply but ushered the two women into the apartment quickly.

"So this is where you live! It's… it's… you." Relena remarked as she took in her spartan surroundings.

"What are you doing here?" Heero demanded after he had closed the apartment door.

"I came to visit you. I've missed you so much! It's been so long since we've seen each other!" Relena cried as she flung her arms around him.

Heero stood stiffly in her embrace until she finally let go. "You shouldn't have come here, it's unsafe!"

"But I wanted to see you! You wouldn't return my calls and I was so worried that something had happened!"

"I'm fine," Heero glowered. "Where is your bodyguard? Don't tell me you came without an escort!"

"Oh, we left him downstairs," Dorothy informed him deviously from where she sat on the couch, watching them like a hawk. "We thought it would be a little cramped with four people in such a… modest apartment, and of course, we wanted to respect your privacy Heero."

"Yes, and we knew that we'd be perfectly safe since you're here Heero," Relena breathed sappily.

"You shouldn't have-" Heero began to protest again but was cut off by Dorothy.

Unfortunately since you've left us Heero," she practically purred his name, "we've been having a hard time finding a suitable replacement. In fact, that's one of the reasons why we dropped in for a visit today. Come, let us sit, we have many things to discuss. And there is no time like the present, is there Ms. Relena?"

"Yes," Relena agreed eagerly. "It seems like our busy schedules have been keeping us apart. We should make use of what time we have together!"

"Come, let us sit," Dorothy cajoled, gesturing to the cramped living room.

Heero glared but acquiesced, turning his desk chair around and sitting down, ensuring that Relena could not sit next to him. Relena didn't seem to notice and serenely settled herself next to Dorothy, delicately angling her legs and arranging her skirts with an ease that showed years of practice.

Stuck in the closet, Duo shifted his weight slightly, careful not to make any noise. 'I'm in for a long wait,' he grumbled to himself. 'Hmm… so princess dove is here, I recognize her voice from the broadcasts but who's the other chick?' Turning on his tablet that had been in his hands when Heero had rudely shoved him into closet, he made sure that the screen's brightness was on the lowest setting. With a couple of quick keystrokes, he located a voice-recognition app. Frowning when Quatre's watchdog program kicked in, he buckled down for a little stealth hacking. 'Tricky, tricky," he thought to himself as he noted a more subtle watchdog program hidden within the more obvious one that was currently stopping him from downloading the app. 'Well, he did tell me outright that this thing was linked to Wufei's Nataku… shoulda expected this.'

"So Heero, just like you, we're very concerned about Ms. Relena's safety; especially now that she has been elected Supreme Minister of the colonies."

"Personal body-guarding duties are not part of the Preventers mandate," Heero recited in monotone.

"Yes of course, we realize that," Dorothy replied smoothly before Relena could open her mouth, "which is why we would like to offer you a position on Ms. Relena's staff as her head of security and full-time bodyguard."

"No."

"No?" Relena looked taken aback at Heero's blunt refusal.

"Your current security is more than adequate for your needs. All your guards have been selected and trained by Noin."

"And yet our guard agreed to wait for us in the underground parking structure," Dorothy remarked snidely.

Heero clenched his jaw angrily but had no retort to Dorothy's barb.

"We're especially concerned now that there's a politically motivated serial killer on the loose," Dorothy continued dramatically.

"There is no evidence that the murder of the two agents was politically motivated," Heero replied robotically.

"Can you say that for sure?" Dorothy refused to back down.

"If there is any indication that Relena is in danger, her security detail will be supplemented with Preventers agents."

Dorothy did not respond to Heero's obstinate reply. Clearly he would not budge. Switching tactics, she gave Relena a significant look as she spoke. "Your only role wouldn't be as Relena's head of security, but as her friend… and perhaps something more…"

'Jeez does this woman ever stop talking?' Duo wondered to himself. He continued to evade Quatre's watchdog program while keeping an ear on the conversation. 'Damn, damn, damn!' he cursed himself. 'Devious bastard has got an entire server dedicated to watching what I do on this tablet. Huh, so that's his real goal… to monitor my coding skills. And this tablet just doesn't have enough juice to go up against an entire server!'

"… being Supreme Minister comes not only with great responsibility but also great loneliness…" Dorothy continued to prattle on in the background.

'Ok, change of plan.' Duo decided. 'I don't have time to play tag with Quatre's watchdog. Lemme see… time for Plan B.' Switching tactics, Duo began pulling up information about Relena Peacecraft. 'Hmm, so you're gonna let me access public records eh?' he thought at the watchdog program. He quickly accessed a list of her aides, narrowing it down to the women only. Canting his head to the side, he considered Dorothy's voice, scrutinizing its tone and fluctuations. 'Hmm… about the same age as Relena, educated and an aristocrat, no mistaking that,' he wrinkled his nose at Dorthy's snobbish tone.

He finally narrowed the list down to one aide. 'Dorothy Catalonia… shit, that is one creepy looking girl,' he shuddered. 'Ok, now to confirm the voice… those aides make announcements on behalf of their ministers, don't they… hmm…' With a few taps on the tablet, he retrieved a brief press release where Dorothy reported on the status of the Supreme Minister after the murder of the Preventers agents. Pulling out a pair of earphones from a small compartment on the side of his tablet, he played the press release. 'Yep, no doubt it's her… freaky eyebrows an' all.'

Pulling up her public profile, Duo began to scan through it, surprised at its sparseness. 'Hmm… granddaughter of a high ranking Senator and Duke... with a different last name. Father is Chilias Catalonia… what the… the public profile redacted. And no mother listed?' Duo dug a little deeper. 'Shielded by the Veterans Privacy Act… hey, that's the same law Heero's using to shield himself and me. Does that mean her family played a key part in the rebellion too?' Unable to find anymore without triggering Quatre's watchdog program, he decided to let it go for the moment and return his full attention to the conversation taking place a few feet away from him.

"…I'm terribly alone," Relena was speaking now. "I lost my parents so early, the rebellion took my brother and…" her voice hitched, "now you've left me and I'm all alone. And I… I'm scared Heero. Scared of letting the colonies down, scared of disappointing my supporters and… I know my security team has been hand-picked by Noin, but I still feel so vulnerable. Oh Heero please," she pleaded tearfully, "please, won't you return to my side. The only time I ever felt truly safe was when you were next to me…"

A heavy stillness fell over the room as Relena sobbed silently.

"I can't give you what you want Relena… I can't give you what you're asking for," Heero finally said, his tone sombre and regretful. "You are safe, the S.A. are no longer targeting you."

"But why Heero?" Relena struggled to contain her tears. "I don't understand why you had to leave just because the S.A. have been defeated!"

"Ms. Relena's rise to power makes her even more crucial to the peace of the colonies, more so than during the rebellion," Dorothy urged tenaciously.

"I'm sorry," Heero replied stubbornly. "I pledged my allegiance to the Preventers, I now serve the colonies."

Dorothy began to protest again but caught herself. "I understand and commend your loyalty to the colonies. I do hope you realize you're very important to Ms. Relena and in turn, how your importance to Ms. Relena translates to the well-being of the colonies. We will take our leave for today. I do hope you will reconsider Heero."

Relena rose to her feet, clutching Dorothy's hand. "It was good to see you Heero," she declared, her well-trained decorum rising to the forefront. "Thank you for having us," she thanked politely.

Heero sighed as he led them towards the door. Before opening the door however, he grabbed Relena's arm to get her full attention. "You need to be careful Relena," he stated in a serious tone as he stared directly into her eyes. "Don't act so recklessly. Your guards have been assigned to protect you. They can't do their jobs if you purposely leave them behind."

Relena nodded somberly. "I won't do it again. But Heero… will you promise me one thing? If… if the rumours turn out to be true and these killings are politically motivated… you'll protect me, won't you? Just like you always did?"

Heero's grip tightened slightly on her arm before he released her and opened the door.

"I promise."

* * *

><p>Noin slammed her hand down on her desk in frustration. "I know I'm missing something, I just know it!" she hissed in frustration.<p>

"Commander?" Helena's worried voice called from outside her office. "Uh, sir, sir! You can't just go in there!" she stated frantically.

"Of course I can," a tenor voice replied smoothly.

The door to Noin's office opened and Trowa strode in, Helena's petite frame clingingly desperately to his arm.

"It's alright Helena," Noin soothed. "He's a… CI."

"Yes ma'am," Helena replied, shutting the door closed behind her.

"This is unlike you," Noin commented. "Why are you here?"

"Just here to make a delivery," he replied, sitting down and crossing his long, jean-clad legs. He tossed a key-card onto her desk. "The key to your new headquarters, Howard says we can move in first thing tomorrow morning. Access codes have been linked to our old scramblers and will reset every 12 hours."

"You went to see Howard?"

Trowa nodded. "Wufei made his report?"

"About Sally and Catherine?" Noin sighed heavily. "I finally talked to Sally earlier and she's still having a hard time coming to terms with her…" Noin paused as she searched for an appropriate word, "inadvertent involvement. Is Catherine alright?"

Trowa shrugged. "Catherine is Catherine. I was also there to see if he recognized the photos of any of the scientists we found on L2. Howard couldn't identify them."

Noin sighed. "It was unfortunate we had to incinerate the bodies. We couldn't find any DNA matches either… they were virtual ghosts." Noin hesitated before asking, "Catherine didn't recognize them either?"

"No, and I think we should keep her out of all investigations from now on."

Noin inhaled sharply. "Has she gone back to her old ways?"

"No, but I don't trust her… she loses sight of all else when she gets caught up in her beloved science."

Noin studied him for several long moments, her long fingers taping an uneven beat on her knee. "She's helped us immensely since she defected from the S.A. Are you sure you aren't letting your personal feelings affect your judgment? Don't forget that she abandoned her 'beloved science' to save you."

Trowa remained silent but held her scrutinizing gaze unflinchingly.

Noin broke their locked gaze first. "Never mind, we're all tired and under a lot of stress. Let's not dwell on it. The last thing we need is to start fighting among ourselves."

Trowa nodded curtly. "What were you cursing at when I came in?"

Noin accepted the change in topic graciously. "It's the case of Wallins and Anderson. Our working theory is that they were killed because of what they witnessed on the night of December 27. I've been going over their witness account over and over again looking for some clue, anything that could help lead us to the Bionics."

"What about the leaked photos?"

Noin shook her head. "I've confiscated all the rookies' electronics, even their personal ones. Nothing."

"The investigation team? The clean-up crew?" Trowa suggested.

"No… they all check out. Besides, the picture was taken from a distance but from somewhere within the dorm."

"Hmm…" Trowa murmured as he thought. "Can I see a record of the investigation so far?"

Noin wordlessly handed him her tablet.

Trowa tapped his foot in a lazy rhythm as he read. "They weren't even supposed to be on patrol that night," he commented. "I see you disciplined them by putting them on probation." He paused, scanning the text several times, the tapping of his foot increasing in tempo.

Noin recognized Trowa's subtle change in attitude and leaned forward. "What is it?"

"I think there was a man on the inside…"

"What!?"

"We have 305 agents and 85 new recruits in Sanc. How were the Bionics able to identify Wallins and Anderson from those 390 agents? Add to that the fact that they somehow seemed to know that on the night of the 9th, Wallins and Anderson were the only two rookies in the dorms that night."

"The only ones?" Noin repeated feebly before gasping in shock. "The night-time training drills! We ran them from 2100 on the 9th to 0300 on the 10th! Anderson and Wallins didn't take part in the training because they were on probation!"

"That window fits the time of death…"

Noin rubbed her forehead. "I'd completely forgotten about that. It was a last minute switch. We were supposed to hold training on the 11th but there was a last minute opening in the facility…"

"Who was overseeing the training?"

"Agents Nikol and Ralph, I…" Noin trailed off, the blood draining from her face. "Helena!" she barked into intercom.

"Yes ma'am?" Helena's voice replied immediately.

"Agency wide bulletin: I want Agents Nikol and Ralph detained immediately! Use of force authorized, but strictly non-lethal."

"Yes ma'am," Helena's shaken but professional voice replied.

Trowa raised his single visible brow. "Care to share?"

"Agents Nikol and Ralph were supposed to be on patrol the night Wallins and Anderson witnessed the Bionics. They claimed sickness and a family emergency but they'd missed too many patrols together to be considered a coincidence so I called bullshit. I thought they were playing hooky and so assigned training duties as punishment."

Noin stood up, her chair skidding back with the force of her anger. She grabbed her service weapon from her desk drawer, checked the magazine and holstered it in one fluid movement. "Forget sending out a team," she growled under her breath. "I'm going to bring them in _personally_."

"Need any help?" Trowa called after her as she marched past him.

Noin paused at the door and glanced over her shoulder. "No, I need them alive and able to talk."

"They won't be much better off with that mood of yours," Trowa mused, a corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk.

"I said alive and able to talk. I didn't say anything about them _not_ being beaten to a pulp," Noin retorted with a dark smile.

Trowa's smirk blossomed into a quiet chuckle as he languidly pushed himself to his feet. Helena stood right outside door, staring open mouthed as Noin cut a straight path through her shocked agents.

"I suggest you call the Med Team," Trowa called back as walked past the shell-shocked Helena with a janty wave.

* * *

><p>Duo clambered irritably out of the closet in time to see Quatre and Wufei's images pop up on the large vidscreen.<p>

"What is it Yuy?" Wufei demanded. "Why are you using the old distress code?"

"Did something… Duo? Are you alright? What happened to you?" Quatre asked, catching sight of Duo as he came to stand behind Heero.

Heero glanced behind him, noticing Duo's dishevelled clothing and half-unraveled braid. "He just came out of the closet."

Duo blinked at Heero before dissolving into laughter. "I don't believe it!" he cackled with glee. "You just made a joke! An old-school one at that!"

"Oh my," Quatre placed a hand over his mouth to stifle his giggles.

"Quatre!" Wufei admonished. "Heero, I highly doubt that you used the emergency code to tell us about Duo's sexual orientation…"

Heero opened his mouth to explain but was drowned out by Duo's howling laughter. Quatre too was unable to contain his mirth and laughed outright at Heero and Wufei's perplexed and annoyed expressions.

"Oh god, you guys are killin' me!" Duo snorted as he held his ribs. "And here I was getting all pissed about Heero shovin' me in the closet."

"My apartment has been compromised!" Heero snapped, subduing Quatre and Duo's mirth instantaneously.

"What?" Three voices exclaimed in unison.

"Relena and Dorothy were just here."

"At your apartment?" Wufei asked in shock. "But your location is sealed from the public record!"

Quatre nodded, his eyes troubled. "And Justice Noventa promised us that he'd inform us if anyone applied to unseal Heero's records…"

"Hey," Duo interjected. "The girl's the Supreme Minister right? She should be able to get information like that easily, right?"

Wufei shook his head. "Even the Supreme Minister must utilize the proper channels and submit an application for Heero's record to be unsealed."

"Why were they at your apartment Heero?" Quatre asked, his eyes focused on his computer beyond the camera's view.

"They wanted me to go back to being Relena's bodyguard."

Wufei sighed. "You coddled her too much during the war. That girl is too impressionable," Wufei placed particular emphasis on the word 'girl'.

"Don't be so harsh on her Wufei," Quatre chided distractedly as he continued to type offscreen. "She suffered greatly at the hands of the S.A. yet she didn't seek vengeance, only peace. It took great strength on her part to continue to advocate her family's message of total pacifism, especially when it cost her almost everything."

"I'm not criticizing her family's beliefs, I just believe she is still too immature to be in such a position of power," Wufei retorted.

"Mm… putting that aside, Justice Noventa has just responded to my message saying that there's been no application to release Heero's information."

"This is very troubling," Wufei frowned. "No doubt Relena used her position to somehow obtain Heero's address."

"It's more likely Dorothy that's behind this," Quartre interjected and Heero nodded his agreement.

"Either way," Wufei continued. "We don't know how much of Heero's personal information they were able to uncover. If we're lucky, it's only his very basic profile, if we're not…"

Quatre nodded. "My guess is that they charmed a clerk at City Hall into divulging the information…"

"Umm… hold on a minute" Duo interrupted. "Why are you guys freaking out over two girls visiting Heero? I mean…"

"Don't you understand?" Heero whirled on Duo, grasping his shoulders. "You might have been discovered!

"Umm… they didn't seem to know about me, what with all the lovey dovey talk going on," Duo grumbled. "I still think you guys are overacting…"

"We can never be too careful," Quatre warned. "Especially when it comes to Dorothy Catalonia."

"Once the information is out, who knows whose hands it will fall into," Wufei added, checking the time. "City Hall is closed now. I will make inquiries at City Hall first thing in the morning. In the meantime, you and Duo need to relocate to a secure location. I suggest Quatre's place."

"Yes, you can use one of my staff's for the time being-" Quatre began to agree.

"No," Wufei cut him off sharply. "Your place."

"Don't be stupid Chang," Heero finally joined the conversation.

"Exactly! My place is not a good idea!"

Wufei sighed. "There will have to be a confrontation sooner or later. And with the way things are progressing, I say sooner."

"But-" Quatre protested.

"It will be fine," Wufei assured. "Right Yuy? It's better they meet while you are there."

"I should be there too!" Quatre insisted.

"I have an ominous feeling that we are running out of time Winner. And what if they should meet under more stressful circumstances? Then what? I understand your reluctance but nothing can be gained from dragging this out. Can either of you honestly tell me that their paths will never cross?"

Neither Quatre nor Heero could find a counter-argument they hadn't already used against Wufei's sound logic.

"Quatre?" Heero asked.

Quatre gave a slow nod after an agonizingly long moment, his face grim. "I'll let him know. Heero, the access codes are still the same."

"It's settled then," Wufei spoke before either Quatre or Heero could change their minds. "You should make all haste Yuy. And I will see what I can uncover before I visit City Hall tomorrow morning."

"Roger. Yuy out." Heero cut the connection.

"What the hell was that all about?" Duo demanded as soon as the vidscreen turned off. "Confrontation? With who? What's going on? Is that Dorothy chick dangerous or something?"

"There are too many unknowns," Heero was already in motion, shutting down his computer and stowing it away in a case. He also grabbed his tablet, sliding it into the smaller pocket of the same case. "Pack all your belongings," he ordered, throwing an empty duffel Duo's way.

Responding to Heero's nervous energy, Duo began filling his duffle with the clothes Quatre had sent as well as his tablet and comm unit. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Heero unlock the chest at the foot of the bed and pull out a large duffle bag, roughly the same size as the chest. With a grunt, he slung the heavy duffle over his shoulder and nodded towards the door. Duo zipped his own duffle closed and followed Heero out the door.

"Stay close to me," Heero ordered as they made their way down the empty hallway.

* * *

><p>Dorothy sat alone in her darkened room, back ramrod straight, staring off into space.<p>

"So," she mused to herself out loud. "Mr. Heero Yuy. Why oh why are you so stubborn? Why have your priorities changed? What are your priorities now?"

She unfolded the piece of paper she had retrieved from her purse and scanned it once more. All that was printed on the white piece of paper was Heero's name, address, primary contact number, employer and companion status along with the usual small print regarding the Privacy Act.

"That Ms. Veiga was sharper than most. If she hadn't interfered, I could have gotten that silly little clerk to give me full access to Heero's file…"

Dorothy smoothed out the paper again and with great precision, she read each line printed with great care. "Companion status redacted?" she wondered aloud. "Why would he have it redacted?"

With a glint of realization in her sharp blue-gray eyes, she carefully scrutinized the small print at the bottom of the page. "How interesting," she commented as she read, "Justice Noventa personally redacted certain portions of Heero Yuy's file."

A menacing smile spread across her sharp features as a plan began to blossom in her mind. "Even if Heero Yuy no longer feels that Relena is his priority, _I can make her his priority_."

She rose sedately and moved to her ornate wooden desk. Sitting herself primly in front of her vidphone, she dialed a number from memory.

The call was answered after a few rings. "Duke, my patience with you runs thin…" a deep voice warned ominously.

"Midek, I apologize for my impertinence in contacting you directly," Dorothy began in a suitably demure tone.

"Ah, it's _granddaughter_. This had better be good girl."

Dorothy ignored the barb and continued in her demure tone. "I understand grandfather has disappointed you recently. I have a plan that will remedy my grandfather's failings, and both bind Heero Yuy to Relena Peacecraft's side and eliminate one of the Gundam Ten's strongest allies."

"I'm listening."

* * *

><p>Duo followed Heero into the elevator of the same skyrise building they had been to the night before. This time, Heero punched the numbers for several random floors. Duo blinked in confusion until a control panel containing a thumbprint and retinal scanner popped open. After scanning both his thumb and right eye, Heero pushed the control panel shut.<p>

"Welcome Mr. Yuy," a mechanical voice greeted as Duo looked around him frantically. "Which floor would you like to visit?"

"Penthouse," Heero replied curtly.

"Yes sir. Ascending to the 143th floor."

Heero grew tenser with each passing second. Duo didn't dare break the silence and could only fidget as he watched the numbers counting up.

"Penthouse," the mechanical voice returned, accompanied by a melodic chime. "Please enjoy your stay Mr. Yuy."

The doors slid open to reveal a wide marble entrance way filled with exotic potted plants and a small trickling fountain. Duo followed Heero numbly into the penthouse, his eyes flicking from left to right to take in all the details of his surroundings.

Heero led him to a sidewall of the imposing marble entrance and placed his hand against what appeared to be solid marble. After a moment, the marble rippled at his touch and dissipated to reveal a small and much more modestly furnished sitting room. While Duo was dazedly surveying the four corners of the now non-existent wall in confusion, a lean figure rose from where it was reclining in one of the chairs and stepped forward.

Sensing the motion, Duo shifted his attention to the approaching figure, only to lock gazes with a single, calm green eye.

"Hello Duo," the tall man greeted "and welcome to my home. My name is Trowa Barton."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Ok, another chapter up. These chapters keep turning into beasts. Wnated to have some humour in this chapter since Duo's getting way too sombre. Hence the lame attempt at humour. You'll also find some of my obession with marine biology here... a hazard of growing up next to the ocean I guess. <em>

_Anyways, thank you, thank you thank you for all the reviews! They're very helpful in motivating me and also seeing which parts of the story readers are responding to. So.. keep 'em coming! Also thank you for reading, especially to those of you who are still reading this despite the long hiatus. I'm hope you're enjoying it! _

_*I'm Canadian/Japanese so I use the metric system (mostly) thank you very much! (and so does the rest of the world minus my lovely American friends…) 7 meters = 23 feet; 9 metres = 30 feet _


	22. Episode Twenty-One: Red Herrings

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Twenty-One: Red Herrings <em>_(January 12-13, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Duo froze in shock, his duffle falling from nerveless fingers. He tried to speak past his constricted throat, but all he could manage was a strangled croak. He desperately willed his body to move, but his limbs stubbornly refused to move. Bursts of images flashed through his mind, interposing over the man with the long lock of hair covering one eye.<p>

Heero looked at him in alarm and grasped his elbow, whether to keep him upright or to keep him from running, Duo didn't know.

"It's alright. Trowa is a fellow agent and Quatre's companion," Heero tried to reassure Duo.

Duo's muscles finally responded enough to allow him to turn his head to meet Heero's gaze. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly as his voice continued to fail him. 'Run!' his mind screamed but his legs remained stubbornly paralyzed.

"He is a friend," Heero continued to try and reassure a clearly distressed Duo. "I have known him for a long time."

Trowa for his part remained silent, watching the interaction between the two men standing on the threshold of the sitting room.

'Do they no realize that he's _Pierrot_?' Duo wondered in horror. 'Does Heero not know?'

As though reading his mind, Trowa slowly raised his hands to show that he held no weapons. "Yes I'm _Pierrot_."

"Trowa!" Heero snapped.

Trowa shrugged, keeping his hands clearly within Duo's sight. "He's clearly recognized me. I don't know how, but it's no use lying to him."

At Trowa's cavalier attitude, Duo's paralyzed body finally obeyed his commands to move and he lunged forward, intent on tearing _Pierrot_'s throat out with his bare hands.

"Duo, No!" Heero's arms came around him, pinning his arms to his sides like iron bands. Duo fought against Heero's grip in a mad frenzy, furiously kicking and screaming in rage.

Trowa wisely kept his distance, keeping a watchful eye on the pair as Duo continued to shout and struggle. Heero gave him a withering glare but Trowa paid him no mind. Duo soon tired, and completely exhausted, he slumped in Heero's arms, breathing heavily.

Heero eased his grip slightly and allowed Duo to slide to the floor. Crouching behind him, he tried to get through to Duo.

"Duo, he's-"

"Fucking bastard! Murdering S.A. scum!" Duo hissed between deeply laboured breaths, his gaze still locked on the tall man.

"You two must be tired," Trowa commented as though Duo wasn't crouched in Heero's arms, hissing a stream of obscenities at him.

"Monster!" Duo continued to wheeze. "I'm going to fucking kill you! I'm going to send you to hell, and follow you there and kill you again!"

"Let me show you to the guest room," continued, undeterred by Duo's angry threats.

Heero hesitated for a moment before pulling Duo to his feet and following Trowa's receding form.

"Why the hell are we listening that bastard!" Duo spat as he was dragged along by Heero. "Don't tell me we're gonna stay here!? He's going to fucking kill us in our sleep!"

Trowa led them deeper into the apartment, past a modest-sized kitchen and dining room. All along the far side, there were floor to ceiling windows with a beautiful birds-eye view of the darkened city but Duo didn't give them more than a cursory glance, his attention fixed on Trowa's lean back.

Finally stopping at the second to last door down the long hallway, Trowa pushed open the door and gestured to Heero and Duo to enter.

"Have you two eaten?"

"Yes," Heero replied as he gently pushed Duo into the moderately-sized room.

"Good. You know where everything is if you need anything," Trowa addressed Heero. Glancing behind Heero, he could see Duo just inside the room, glaring at him with death in his violet eyes. "I hope you two get a good night's rest."

"As if!" Duo spat venomously. "You're just going to wait until we fall asleep to slit our throats!"

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already. I've had plenty of opportunities," Trowa replied, looking unconcerned.

"Trowa!" Heero barked in anger. "What's gotten into you? Stop baiting him!"

Trowa shrugged. "Duo's clearly not going to change his mind overnight."

"I'm right here assholes!" Duo's body may have sapped of all its strength but his fighting spirit was alive and kicking.

"I'll let Quatre know you've arrived safely. Goodnight." Trowa turned abruptly and disappeared down the hall.

Heero closed the door and sighed deeply before turning to face Duo.

"Duo-" he began but Duo was having none of it.

"You're all fools! Don't you realize who he is? He's a fuckin' mass-murderer! An elite of the _S.A. Liberators Elite_! The fuckin' cream of the cream of the S.A.! And he's Quatre's companion? Are you fuckin' shittin' me? I-"

"He's a double agent and a member of the Gundam Ten," Heero cut him off quietly.

Duo fell silent in shock but his ire and distrust soon returned twofold. "Double agent my ass. He's probably a triple agent, feeding information right back to the S.A.!"

"If he was," Heero informed him calmly, "you'd already be dead. He's saved your life, twice."

"What!? When?"

Heero looked troubled but he answered. "That night when we cap-, no, found you… when I tackled you… you went into respiratory arrest. He revived you and managed to get you breathing on your own again… and, when the attempt on your life was made, he faked your 'death' and tracked down the assassin responsible for poisoning you. It's mostly thanks to him that the S.A. thinks you're dead and you can live out in the open."

Duo still looked skeptical. "But why?"

"Because I asked him to," Heero replied simply.

Duo took a step back and sat down heavily on the large bed behind him. After several moments of deep contemplation, he spoke tentatively. "You said you were… old friends?"

Heero nodded. "I've known him for over ten years, before he even became _'Pierrot'_."

"Even if he was a double agent… I mean, how can you stay friends with him, knowing all that he's done?"

"I don't know what you've heard about him, and how you know about him, but he's not the cruel and deranged mass-killer you think he is."

"But-"

"The S.A. operated by inspiring and amplifying fear. Trowa may have played the role of an assassin, but they created the legend of _Pierrot_ to inspire fear, especially within the S.A."

"What do you mean?"

"_Pierrot_ played the role of an enforcer among the _Liberators_ ranks. That was how Trowa was able to infiltrate the upper circles of the S.A., by becoming their 'cleaner' when things went wrong. As the S.A.'s hold on their troops started to weaken, the legend of _Pierrot _grew, partly through the S.A. and partly through Trowa's own doing. The upper circles of the S.A. thought they were bringing the _Liberators_ into line by inspiring the fear of _Pierrot_ in them, while Trowa used that fear to gain the information he wanted."

Duo remained silent, clenching his jaw, mulling over what Heero was saying.

"If Trowa hadn't managed to infiltrate the S.A.," Heero added, "the Gundam Ten wouldn't have been able to take them down. He was a crucial member of the team."

Duo remained stubbornly silent, clearly unconvinced by Heero's explanations.

Heero studied Duo for a moment before making an observation. "Your hatred of him seems personal. What is it that you think he did? As far as I know, he's never been responsible for any UNDIS deaths, he worked strictly within the ranks of the S.A."

"He's still a fucking member of the S.A." Duo spat.

"_Was_." Heero emphasized. "And he was working as a double agent for us."

"Doesn't matter," Duo muttered irritably. "He still associated with those murdering devils. I'll never forgive anyone who had ties to those bastards."

"Even if they left the organization to join the rebels?" Heero asked quietly, his tone suddenly sad and sombre.

Duo glanced sharply at Heero, noticing the dejected air around the other man. "What are you getting at?"

"Trowa is one of my oldest friends. He's saved my life countless times and I trust him more than anyone."

Duo snorted at Heero's last statement, crossing his arms defiantly. "Yeah well, who says I trust you?" he scoffed.

Heero went eerily still before moving slowly towards Duo and sitting down next to him. He splayed open his right hand, gently tracing the faint scar that bisected his palm. "You stabbed me… here."

"Yeah so? I already said I wasn't sorry," Duo retorted but his tone belied a hint of guilt.

"Your knives were made of cobalt alloy… you made those blades yourself, didn't you? Why did you use a cobalt alloy?"

"What's this got to do with anything?" Duo demanded impatiently. "I stabbed you and you didn't retaliate, instead you made me your companion therefore I should trust you? What kind of twisted logic is that?"

Heero held Duo's gaze before shaking his head tiredly. "Never mind, I'm tired. Forget I said anything. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow, I will try and make arrangements for us to move to another location."

* * *

><p>Heero quietly shut the door behind him and made his way back to the sitting room. Trowa looked up from his tablet and titled his head in an inquiring manner.<p>

"He finally fell asleep. He's still distrustful of you though," Heero informed him wearily.

Trowa nodded, seemingly unconcerned. "I guess it was too much to hope for that the first time he recognized me as _Pierrot_ was a coincidence."

"You still don't know how he knows about your identity as _Pierrot_?"

Trowa shrugged. "As far as I know, our paths have never crossed."

"You are sure?" Heero insisted.

"I am," Trowa remained calm under Heero's intense gaze. "Howard left a message asking you to call him. Why don't you use the comm room?"

Heero held his stare for another moment before turning curtly and marching back into the depths of the apartment. He entered a small study and closed the door behind him. The lights flickered on to reveal a large vidscreen. Heero took a seat in the single seat and waited as the communications unit turned on.

"Good evening Mr. Yuy," a robotic voice greeted. "Who would you like to call?"

"Howard of the Sweepers group."

"Connecting. One moment please."

A few moments later, Howard's grizzled face appeared on the screen. "Well don't you look like a bucket o' sunshine! I hear you had quite the interesting day. I'm surprised you an' the kid are shacked up with Barton right now. He doing ok?"

Heero merely grunted in reply.

"As taciturn as usual I see… well, never you mind. I got a question about your order. I've already put in an order for the clothes and food but… a salt-water aquarium and fish?" Howard glanced at Heero over his glasses as he consulted his tablet.

Heero nodded. "Yes, I was thinking _Chaetodon auriga_, _Paracanthurus hepatus, Amphiprion ocellaris_, _Chrysiptera parasema-"_

"Hold on,hold on! In English!" Howard chided.

"Butterfly fish, Blue Tang, Clownfish and Yellowtail Damselfish." Heero clarified.

"Right… and why exactly did you suddenly develop a sudden desire to own fish?"

"Quatre said that Duo needs to form attachments, something that will make him feel at home."

"Oh? And to tie him down eh? Make it harder for him to run?" Howard inquired with a knowing glint in his eye.

Heero nodded tersely.

"Well, I hate to break it to ya chickie but fish aren't going to work," Howard chuckled.

"Why not?" Heero demanded. "He liked the aquariums at Quatre's pools, he even spent the next day reading all about marine fish!"

"Eh yeah," Howard scratched his head. "How should I put this… he might have been fascinated because he's never seen live fish before but… let's just say… fish aren't exactly 'cuddly'. I mean, when push comes to shove, he's not going to be so attached to the fish that he'll take the time to take 'em with him…"

Heero gave him a withering glare.

"Don't give me that look," Howard admonished him. "I know you personally like the fishies and I know you're thinking of the kid's best interests," Howard stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "I think I might have an alternative… I'll let you know as soon as I've arranged everything."

Heero worked his jaw for a few moments before replying gruffly. "Thank you."

"Stop glarin'! Your face is going to freeze like that! No way the kid is going to start liking you with an expression like that!" Howard chuckled before cutting the line.

* * *

><p>Noin pinched the bridge of her nose as she leaned against the table in the observation room. Wufei stood several feet away from her, his arms crossed as he gazed into the interrogation room through the two-way mirror. A tall man sat chained to the interrogation table, a dark bruise blossoming on his cheek.<p>

"He's proven hard to crack," Wufei commented after a long silence. "He's had training, a _Liberator_ no doubt."

"Probably an _Elite_ if he's managed to fool us until now," Noin added.

"What about Ralph?"

"Slipped through our fingers. Turns out the only one who was really in contact with him was Nikol. He's on the Preventers roster but he's a veritable ghost." Noin clenched her jaw.

"How did he pull that off?" Wufei wondered. "No wait, let me guess. His status was listed as 'undercover'."

Noin sighed. "Yeah, but still was listed as active in regular duties with his partner Agent Nikol. But the thing is, no one ever saw Nikol ever working with a partner."

Wufei scowled. "Convenient. It allowed Nikol to move about freely but anytime someone became suspicious of Ralph not being present, that was solved with his 'undercover' status."

"I can't believe I didn't notice!" Noin berated herself.

"There was little you could have done. You have your hands full with us and your administrative duties. There's no way for you to keep track of every single agent in the Sanq Preventers office."

"Well starting tomorrow, this organization is going through a major overhaul. I'm not letting this happen again! We're going to go through every single agent's record and look for discrepancies. And we need to reform our background check protocols."

Wufei nodded. "We should also look at the politicians that pressured the Preventers to grow so quickly, no doubt they had a hand in placing the moles."

"It's settled then," Noin stated as she pushed herself to her feet, "we'll call it a day. We aren't going to get anything else out of Nikol tonight. Tomorrow," Noin checked her watch, "scratch that, later today I'll-"

Noin was interrupted when the door was flung open and an ashen-faced agent stumbled into the room, breathing heavily.

"Commander! There's been another attack! The serial killer has struck the Sanq Empire Complex! He's killed Senators, aides and even Judges!"

"What?" Noin barked in shock. "What is the death toll?"

"Eight confirmed so far but we keep receiving reports of more deaths…"

Noin paled but went eerily calm as she began to give commands. "Sound the alarm. Send in Alpha Rescue Squad to evacuate the building, extraction only. Have Beta Rescue set up a temporary shelter at the Parliament buildings, and have them tend to any injuries. I want Team Alpha to rendezvous with Beta once they've cleared the building. I'll personally be leading a team to secure the building. Oh, and send Investigative Team Theta to take witness accounts from everyone in the building."

"Yes ma'am!" The agent rushed away and soon an alarm sounded through the building.

"You're leading a 'team' to secure the Sanq Empire Complex?" Wufei raised a brow.

Noin nodded tensely. "If the bionics are still in the building I don't want any of the agents dealing with them. We can't let their existence become public knowledge plus I have no doubt that our agents would be overpowered in seconds. Suit up Chang, we'll need the _team_ for this."

"Agreed, I'll have Sally meet us at the Complex with my suit."

"You don't have it here?" Noin asked incredulously as they began to make their way out of the detainment sector of the Preventers Headquarters.

"Do you think I would leave it here where any bumbling idiot could stumble across it? Especially with those idiotic politicians parading in and out of the building?" Wufei snorted in disgust.

"We need to move into our new base of operations as soon as possible," Noin replied with a string of curses.

Wufei nodded. "We'll move in today once we clear up this mess."

"Don't you mean if?"

Wufei smiled tersely, "_When._ I'll call Barton and have him meet us at the Complex."

"And Yuy," Noin reminded him.

"No, I doubt he'd leave Duo on his own," Wufei surmised.

"Damn that stubborn bastard," Noin growled under her breath. "Fine we'll-" Noin and Wufei's comm units began to beep shrilly.

Both Preventers agents froze in horror when they recognized the signal. "Peacecraft Manor's peripheral alarms…" Noin whispered in terror.

"You go," Wufei instructed, taking control of the situation. "Have Yuy meet you there. I'll clear the complex with Sally and Barton."

"You think Heero will leave Duo?"

Wufei shrugged. "He cannot say that Duo's safety is more important than the Supreme Minister's."

"And Duo?"

"He'll just have to stay put at Winner's place. The security system there should be more than sufficient to keep him there."

Noin raised a skeptical brow. "Are you sure? He's proven himself to be beyond resourceful."

Wufei clenched his jaw grimly. "Then we'll just have to hope that he believes that it's in his best interests to stay put. One of us will go to check on him once we've cleared the Complex."

* * *

><p>Duo was dragged awake to the sound of shrilly beeping alarm and tense voices. Shaking the lethargy out of his limbs, he tumbled off the large bed and stumbled towards the door. Opening it quietly, he peeked out into the hall to see light spilling out from one of the rooms down the hall. Just as he was about to make his way towards the voices, Heero came storming out, a grim look on his face.<p>

"What-" Duo began to ask as Heero pushed past him and into the bedroom. He yanked his duffel from under bed and began to shed his clothes. Duo immediately recognized the duffel as the one Heero had retrieved from his locked chest the night before.

Stripped to his underwear, Heero pulled out a black, high-collared top and form-molding pants, both made from a thin, sweat absorbing material. Pulling them on, he tugged on a pair of socks before pulling out a full body suit made from a thick leathery material that had a metallic sheen. Stepping into the suit, Heero pulled the torso-length zipper up to his chin and then carefully folded a flap over the length of the zipper. Heero finished his outfit by pulling on a pair of boots and matching gloves.

Duo noted with curious fascination that the suit had a white, metal breastplate built into the suit and that the elbows and knees of the suit were reinforced with white accents. The sides and edges of the suit were also trimmed with thin white lines that were tinged metallic.

"Is that a Gundanm suit?" Duo spoke aloud at the same time he realized that the metallic sheen and the metal inserts were Gundanium alloy.

Heero glanced up at him as though noticing him for the first time and gave a surly nod.

"Umm… what's going on?" Duo asked hesitantly.

"The bionics have attacked again, death toll is in the double digits," a calm voice spoke from behind him.

Duo whirled around and came face to face with Trowa, dressed in an identical suit to Heero's, although his metal inserts and trims were a dark olive green.

"You!" Duo spluttered, thrown off balance by Trowa's appearance.

"Noin is on her way to Peacecraft Manor, security staff report that the Minister is secure, no further breaches to any of the alarms," he informed Heero over Duo's head.

Heero grunted in reply as he strapped on his weapons. Duo counted a small semi-automatic, a stun-revolver hybrid and a long hunting knife. Duo had no doubt there were countless other weapons stashed in the conveniently located pockets of his suit.

"I have to go," he finally spoke to Duo as he shrugged into a light-weight black jacket. "I need you to stay here."

"Wait, you're leaving me here?" Duo demanded.

"You will be safe here. Promise me that you won't try to leave and that you'll wait here for me."

"Wait what? You-"

"Swear it!" Heero insisted.

"Fine, I promise to stay here!" Duo huffed in irritation. "For the time being anyways…" he muttered under his breath.

Heero gave him a sharp look but chose not to respond to Duo's muttered comment. "I will call you once things have settled down," he promised before grabbing a smaller duffel and rushing out the door. Duo stared after him as he disappeared down the darkened hallway. Moments later, Duo heard the front door close with an ominous slam.

"What the hell is going on?" Duo wondered.

"Come, I'll show you," Trowa responded quietly from where he stood just outside the bedroom door.

Duo jumped back in alarm, having completely forgotten that the tall man was still there. Trowa for his part simply turned and made his way back towards the room from which the two agents had previously emerged.

Hesitating for a moment, Duo decided to follow the taller man. Stepping into what looked like a study, Duo's attention was drawn to the vidscreen. A blonde reporter stood in front of an imposing skyscraper, lit up with lights from within despite the early morning hour. Preventers agents with their signature olive green jackets swarmed the perimeter, cordoning off the building as ashen-faced residents were ushered out in their dressing gowns and pajamas, most of them looking like they had just been roused from their beds.

"The bionics have attacked the Sanq Empire Complex which houses many high-ranking politicians and lobbyists," Trowa informed him as he slipped into his own Preventers jacket, the uniform jacket covering up the suit. Duo also noted that Trowa wore the same Preventers footwear as the agents scurrying around in the image before him. At a quick glance, the lanky man looked no different from his fellow agents. If Duo hadn't had seen Trowa before he donned his Preventers garb, he would have never guessed that the agent was wearing a specialized suit underneath his uniform.

"I need to leave as well," Trowa nodded towards the screen. "Leo will take care of you while we're gone. Don't try to leave, you won't like the consequences." The long-banged agent checked his firearm once before quietly slipping out of the room.

"Was that a threat?" Duo snarled, suddenly remembering that Trowa was his sworn enemy. He chased after the other man only to see him literally disappear through the sitting room wall. He stumbled to a halt, mouth hanging open in shock for several moments until he remembered the vanishing stone wall from the night before. Hearing the front door close with an ominous click, Duo threw caution to the wind, and gave chase, only to find himself bouncing off a seemingly solid wall.

"Ow! Fuck!" he swore, rubbing his face. He got back on his feet and cautiously reached forward to touch the wall. His hand met what felt like solid wall although he noted that his fingers tingled slightly.

'Hmm… strange,' he thought to himself. 'It didn't hurt as much as running into a solid wall… Last night Heero somehow made the wall disappear by touching it, but that damn unibanged bastard walked right through it!'

Duo pushed harder against the strange wall but only met with further resistance, the harder he pushed. 'What the hell?' he wondered. Taking a few steps back he considered the door for several moments.

'Bio-sensors?' he thought to himself as he picked up a book from a nearby side-table and tossed it at the wall. The book bounced off the wall and fell to the floor, its pages fluttering open. 'Nope, clearly they have some sort of physical sensors too… but what?'

Duo retrieved the book, seeming to see it for the first time. 'A book, hardcover too…' he mused. He examined his surroundings for the first time, noting the polished wooden furniture with plush coverings, the thick carpet beneath his feet and the bookshelves stuffed full of books. 'Rich bastards.'

He paced the length of the sitting room for several moments before returning back towards the bedroom in search of another exit. He passed the kitchen and dining room with no more than a cursory glance and peeked into the study to see the vidscreen still tuned to the news channel. Nothing much had changed except now the Preventers had begun erecting privacy screens to shield the policing organization's actions from the media's glare.

He tried the next door down the hall but found it to be locked. He gave the lock a cursory glance, noting that to all appearances it looked like an old-fashioned twist lock but, in fact, had cleverly hidden top of the line sensors and high-tech locks. He continued down the hall, passing the bedroom he had occupied the night before, and tried the handle to the final door in the hallway only to find that it too was locked. He glanced out the window at the end of the hallway but saw nothing but sleek glass all the way to the ground, hundreds of metres below his feet. In the distance he could see the lights of hovercrafts circling around a looming tower which he recognized from the news reel as the Sanq Empire Complex.

Finding no exit, he returned to the bedroom he had used the night before. He quickly retrieved his comm unit and a thin jacket from his duffel, observing that it appeared that only he had slept in the bed last night.

'Wait,' he backtracked his thoughts. 'I fell asleep? When that murdering bastard was in the same building? How the hell did I fall asleep? Dammit, that jerk drugged me again!' he realized as he picked up the empty can of juice he had drained to quench his thirst last night. Irritably casting it aside, he stalked into the adjoining bathroom to see what he could find. Finding nothing but a toilet, sink and bathing unit, he exited both the bathroom and bedroom and made his way back to the sitting room.

Once back in the small but luxurious room, he approached the wall once more. Inside his coat pocket, his hand tightly gripped his comm unit. 'Do I risk using the stealth program?' he thought to himself. 'But it looks like it's only a slightly updated version of the old prototype so I don't know its limitations yet.' His eyes quickly scanned the room, focusing on nooks and shadowed areas. 'And I bet they've got this place rigged with cameras… even if I can't see 'em. Nah, too risky to let it slip that I've got this tech.'

With an aggravated huff Duo flopped onto one of the armchairs and stared at the wall. He could still hear the news reports of the attack from the study along with the buzzing hum of the hovercraft buzzing around the night sky; no doubt the media corps fighting to get an exclusive on the story. Duo's musings were interrupted when the wall shimmered and a sinuous body slinked into the room.

Predatory golden met shocked violet. Duo leapt onto the back of the armchair, crouched in a defensive position. The form in front of him sat back on its haunches and considered Duo in turn, head tilted inquisitively to the side. The stand-off lasted for several moments until the creature yawned widely, revealing razor sharp teeth.

Duo wasted no time jumping off the armchair and bolting back to the bedroom where he locked and bolted the door for good measure.

"What the fuck was that?" he gasped as he scrabbled around for a weapon. Grabbing a desk lamp from the end table, he jumped onto the bed and brandished it like a bat, eyes fastened on the door as though expecting the creating to appear through the door at any moment.

'Shit, was that thing the 'Leo' that two-faced bastard told me about?' he recalled with dawning horror. "Take care of me my ass!" he spat aloud, "Leo's gonna freakin' eat me!"

"I'm not going to eat you sir," a disembodied voice replied.

"What?" Duo lost his balance and toppled off the bed. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"I'm Leo sir," the voice replied. "I cannot show myself, I have no corporal form."

Duo blinked. "Management Program?"

"Yes sir."

"Well shit," Duo whistled. "What's your primary function?"

"I manage the day-to-day running of the residences."

"Right…" Duo drawled, mentally going over what he knew of management programs. "And your instructions regarding me?"

"I am to treat you as guest but prevent you from leaving."

"I'm a 'guest' yet I can't leave, isn't that a paradox?" Duo challenged.

"No sir. There are many logical possibilities as to why Master Trowa does not want you to leave."

"Shit!" Duo exclaimed. "You're not an ordinary management program, you're AI!"

"Yes sir."

Duo flopped bonelessly onto the bed. "So, if you're Leo, what the hell was that out there?"

"That was Sandrock, Master Quatre's pet cat."

Duo snorted. "Pet cat my-ass, I might've lived underground my whole life but even I know that house-cats don't come that big!"

"Sandrock is a domesticated Serval, a feline species originating in the continent of Africa."

"S'that so?" Duo hummed. "Can it get in here? 'Cause the damn thing looked hungry."

"Would you like to feed it sir?"

"No I would not like to feed it!" Duo snarled, mimicking the AI's tone before falling back into his usual inflections. "I'm not gonna be its next meal! Dammit, now I'm stuck in this damn room."

"You are not sir, if you unlock and open the door, you can exit the room."

"And get eaten by a hungry 'cat'," Duo growled back.

"Sandrock has never tried to eat a person before. Furthermore, he has already been fed this morning."

"So you say…" Duo muttered. "Who programmed you?"

"Masters Quatre and Trowa."

Duo narrowed his eyes. "Two masters? Then whose command supersedes the other?"

"Sir?"

"Quatre or Trowa?" he spat the last name. "If they give you conflicting commands, whose will you follow?"

"The Masters give no conflicting orders."

"And if they did? What are your protocols?"

The AI remained silent for several moments. "Follow my emotions."

Duo snorted. "Emotions? Give me a break 'Leo'! AIs haven't progressed to the point of having emotions."

"Those are Master Trowa's commands."

"Fine, fine, whatever. You said _Master_ Trowa instructed you to keep me from leaving. Does that mean this section of the apartment or the apartment as a whole? 'Cause I know for a fact that there's more beyond that nifty wall trick." Duo gestured to the space around him.

"Unclear sir. To err on the side of caution I will insist that you remain on this side of the wall."

"Fine, whatever. 'S not like I'm going out there with that creepy cat waiting to eat me."

"Again sir, to the best of my knowledge, Sandrock has never tried to eat a person before."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Shush, I'm going back to sleep." Duo flopped back onto the bed and closed his eyes. 'I'll just wait an' see what happens next. Who knows, maybe Heero will be back soon. Or Quatre might come back, these are his digs after all. Or… that damn bastard. Don't wanna see him again but if he does show, I'll get another crack at 'im.'

* * *

><p>Sally sighed wearily and pushed her goggles up to rest on top of her head. "This is Po, Levels 75 through 130 are clear," she spoke into her mic.<p>

"Acknowledged. Rendezvous on the 10th floor." Chang's voice buzzed from her earpiece.

"Barton?" she asked.

"On the roof. He says he is making his way down now."

"Roger. Po out."

With another heavy sigh, Sally made her way down the hall to the foyer lined with eight elevators, four on each side of the hall although two had been inoperative all morning. Impatiently jabbing the down button several times, she glanced up at the monitors to see which one would arrive. Her eyes widened in alarm when the monitors showed that one of the malfunctioning elevators was now on the move. Drawing her weapon, she flattened herself against the wall next to the approaching elevator and waited. With a chime the elevator doors opened and Sally counted to five before whipping herself around to face the open doors.

"Freeze! Preventers!" she shouted, gun pointed straight ahead. "What in the colonies?" she wondered when she encountered nothing but empty air. She carefully stepped to the ledge, checking first up and then down with her flashlight but saw no elevator. "Is it still malfunctioning?"

"Yes," a voice echoed down the elevator shaft from far above.

"Barton?"

Her answer came when the lean agent slid dizzyingly fast down the elevator cable and landed neatly in the hallway.

"When Wufei said you were coming down from the roof, I didn't quite imagine this," Sally remarked dryly.

Trowa shrugged. "I was simply following the trail of the Bionics."

"You're telling me that they disabled the elevators on purpose and were climbing up and down the cable?" Sally raised an incredulous brow.

"It's easier and faster than taking the stairs."

"Why didn't they just use the elevators?" Sally wondered.

"The chimes. Plus, using an elevator would leave a record of which floors they visited."

"I think the trail of bodies gives us a pretty good idea which floors they visited," Sally retorted as she pushed the down button for the elevator again.

"But not the order."

"Order?" Sally questioned as one of the functioning elevators arrived. "Why would… oh!" she exclaimed as she stepped into the elevator with Trowa. "You think there were only one or two specific targets and the rest were camouflage?"

Trowa nodded. "The elevator cables show wear of multiple trips up and down. It would have been more efficient to simply go to the roof and then slide down to each targeted floor."

"So if we figure out which victims were killed first, we'll discover who the real targets were?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

Sally glared as the elevator began its long descent from the 130th floor. "Would you just spit it out? Cracking open a cadaver's ribcage is easier than getting you to talk!"

Trowa languidly leaned against the back of the elevator as he spoke. "I would kill my red herrings before and after the actual target. If there was more than one target, I would intersperse them. Also, there were two executioners at work which would further distort their true targets."

"This just makes my work even harder… Do you know how hard it is to nail down time of the death when all the deaths were so close together? Add in the fact that the Bionics both used laser shots this time! I doubt I'll be able to tell their kills apart," Sally all but growled.

Trowa shrugged. "There might be other clues."

Sally didn't reply as the elevator reached the third floor. She marched out the open doors with a fierce scowl that caused Wufei to raise a brow from where he stood waiting for them in the lobby.

"I thought you didn't find anything?"

"Well I didn't," Sally groused as she pointed a finger at Trowa, "but Mr. Helpful over there just enlightened me as to the impossible challenges I'll be facing during autopsy."

"You mean the red herrings?"

Sally stamped her foot in frustration. "Why does it seem like I'm the only one here that doesn't have a clue?"

Wufei gently squeezed his companion's elbow. "That is because you are a healer first and a warrior second."

"A fat lot of good it's doing me right now!" she retorted.

"It is easier to kill than to heal," Wufei reassured. "And I have faith that your skills will help us find these Bionics."

"Fine, fine," Sally shrugged off his grip. "I'm going back to Headquarters and I'm not leaving the lab until I find some evidence that will lead us back to these Bionics because quite frankly and sick and tired of dealing with their messes."

"I'll go with you," Wufei offered but he was waved off.

"No, you stay here and supervise the agents. Who knows what kind of mess they'll make of things without Noin here."

"Trowa can-"

"No one knows who Trowa is, plus we can't afford to blow his cover in case the SA are sticking around to observe their handiwork. You're the most superior agent here."

"Then Trowa can help you in the lab," Wufei tried again.

"He's helped me enough already, thanks," Sally scowled as she marched down the hall. "Stop your worrying, I'm perfectly capable of handling the autopsies on my own."

"With everything that's happened, I worry about her." Wufei stated as he watched Sally disappeardown the winding stairs towards the street exit below, shouting instructions to the agents that were loading body bags into Preventers transport carriers.

"I think the only thing you need to worry about is the risk of getting gelded if you try to follow her back to Headquarters," Trowa commented wryly.

"I would feel better if you went back with her."

The green-eyed agent shook his head. "I have to get back to my apartment."

"Duo?" Wufei guessed.

Trowa nodded, holding up his comm unit. "Leo reports that Sandrock has cornered Duo in the bedroom."

"You're letting that _cat_ roam free while Duo's there? I thought you had more sense than that Barton! Don't be surprised if you come home to a dead cat."

Trowa shrugged. "Sandrock can take care of himself. I'm more worried about Leo. Duo has been trying to shut him down with paradoxes."

"Smart. Stymie the programming by presenting conflicting scenarios that cannot be solved with logic. He clearly knows the limitations of AI technology. I wonder if he's encountered it before?"

"I could ask him."

"I doubt he would answer you. I hear he did not react well to meeting you last night."

"Wasn't it your idea that we meet?"

"It was a calculated risk. I thought it was better you two to meet before you met under more stressful circumstances."

Trowa chuckled quietly. "This situation isn't stressful enough Chang?"

Wufei sighed. "I did not think that the SA would strike so soon. I also do not like the idea of having him in your custody."

"You think I'm going to kill him?" Trowa smirked.

"No, but he might try to kill you," Wufei glared. "You've been acting strangely Barton. Is everything alright?"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Quatre'll be back in thirty hours or so," Trowa replied as he headed towards the back exit. "Try not to lose your temper with the agents."

Wufei frowned as he watched the retreating back of his comrade. When the tall agent vanished from sight, Wufei turned with a sigh and headed towards the front exit, steeling himself to deal with the chaos outside.

* * *

><p>Noin cocked her head to the side as she listened to Chang make his report over their scrambled frequency.<p>

"Roger. They didn't breach the perimeter here. In fact, there's no sign that they were even here," Noin stated. "Let me know once you've nailed down some specific timelines, we might be able to rule out their involvement altogether. Noin out."

Noin turned back to the scene at hand where panicked aides and frazzled security guards were scrambling around the Peacecraft Manor. 'Oh God,' she groaned internally. 'Could this get any worse?'

"I brought you some coffee Commander," Helena suddenly appeared at her side with a steaming mug.

"Thank you." Noin accepted the mug gratefully. She took a sip and glanced at her assistant's fidgeting figure out of the corner of her eye. "What is it? I know that face, and it means you have to tell me something I don't want to hear…"

Helena nodded. "The comms have been ringing of the hook. Not just the media but senators, ministers and even the big-wig financiers. Headquarters is being flooded with calls from concerned citizens to people claiming that they know who the serial killer is." Helena took a deep breath before continuing. "The Senate Committee has also summoned you to make an official report at 0900."

Noin sighed heavily. "I'm going to get raked over the coals for declaring that the serial killer wasn't politically motivated…"

"Commander?"

"Yes Helena?"

"Umm… about the killings this morning, it wasn't the work of a single killer was it? I mean… there were so many victims in such a short span of time…"

"You're right about that," Noin acknowledged grimly. "But I don't want you to worry about that right now. I need you to go back to Headquarters and get my dress uniform ready. I also want you to contact the media outlets and let them know that I will be holding a press conference at 0800. I need to make a statement before speculations get out of control."

"Right away Commander!" Helena made the necessary notes in her tablet and hurried out of the room.

"Are you going to acknowledge your mistake Ms. Noin?" Dorothy materialized to take Helena's place.

Noin clenched her fist, mentally counting back from ten. "What do you mean Ms. Catalonia?" she asked after taking a deep breath.

"I distinctly remember voicing my concerns about Ms. Relena's safety after those poor agents were murdered but you assured me that there was no political connection, and now," Dorothy gestured around her, "Ms. Relena has been directly threatened! I shudder to think of what could have happened if the security system put in place my Mr. Yuy hadn't deterred the killers!"

"Please don't jump to conclusions Ms. Catalonia," Noin responded with thinly veiled irritation. "We have no evidence that the murder of the agents is in any way connected to the incident at the Complex or to the threat to the Minister."

"_Incident_?" Dorothy pounced on the word. "I would hardly call the cold execution of a dozen prominent individuals an _incident_."

Noin gritted her teeth, knowing that Dorothy would use every opportunity to lord her word choice over her. Seeing Heero stalk into the room, she quickly disentangled herself from Dorothy's clutches. "Excuse me Ms. Catalonia, I need to confer with Agent Yuy, _in private_."

"Yuy!" Noin barked as she pulled the scowling agent to the side, out of earshot. "Anything?"

"No, just like you I found no trace of any intruder. Only the first perimeter alarm was triggered. If they were trying to infiltrate the mansion, it was a very poor attempt."

Noin nodded. "And I doubt that we'll get anything more from the note." She held up a single sheet of paper in an evidence bag. The page remained blank except for a single sentence: _The Minister is next._ "I'm going to personally drop this off at the lab to check for fingerprints and for any chemical imprints or biologicals. I'm not holding out much hope of finding anything though," she sighed, "who knows how many of these panicked idiots touched the letter."

"Agreed, I-"

"Heero!" Relena's piercing cry interrupted their conversation as she came dashing into the room and glued herself to his side. "Oh Heero, you're back! Did you find anything? Do you know who tried to break in?"

"Minister, I need to return to Headquarters. I assure you that you are safe in Agent Yuy's care. I will let you know as soon as we any definitive information." Noin gave Heero a sympathetic look before giving a curt bow and leaving the room.

Dorothy Catalonia watched her leave, a frown on her face. 'She doesn't seem overly convinced that there is a threat to the girl… Seems like it's time to implement the second part of my plan.'

* * *

><p><em>AN: So the new chapter is finally here... I really struggled with this one since my timeline suddenly sped up so I had to rearrange a few things. I was planning on introducting a new character, but I decided to stop fighting the story and let it go where it wants. More groundwork laid down and Dorothy's sinister plans are just being set in motion. For those of you anxiously waiting to find out how Duo knows about Pierrot, please be a little more patient, I promise it'll be revealed in the next chapter. <em>

_This story is starting to turn into a behemoth nightmare but I'm still 100% committed to getting it done... just be warned that it will likely be a slow and arduous process. But I just wanted to let you guys know I couldn't do it without you! The support I've received for this story has been overwhelming! Thank you!_

_I hope that you'll all keep reading and letting me know what you think of the story! Who knows, maybe it'll knock my muses back into play. :)_


	23. Episode Twenty-Two: Origins

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Twenty-Two: Origins <em>_(January 13, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Duo woke to the light knocking on his door.<p>

"Duo? I'm back and I've sent Sandrock back to his room."

Duo jolted into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Heero?"

"No."

"_Pierrot_."

"I prefer Trowa Barton."

"Yeah, so whaddya want asshole?"

"Nothing. I thought you might want some breakfast."

"How do I know you don't plan on feeding me to your demon cat?"

"Heavyarms doesn't eat people either."

"Huh?" Duo's tirade petered out for a moment. "There's more than one? Fuck, I'm not comin' out!"

"Show him Leo."

Duo blinked in shock when a holographic birds-eye view of the apartment materialized in front of him. The image showed him an empty sitting room, kitchen, dining-room and hallway. Trowa stood just outside his door and looked right up into the camera before making his way towards the kitchen.

"What would you like for breakfast?" he asked as he opened the fridge. "We have some fresh fruit, some cheeses. I think we have bread somewhere…"

"Like I'm eating anything you give me!" Duo hollered through the door. "How do I know you're not gonna try an' poison me?"

Trowa shrugged and pulled a pear out of the fridge. Deliberately looking up at the camera, he took a bite before replying. "Suit yourself."

"Fine!" Duo paced the room, irritation growing. With an angry growl, he stalked into the adjoining bathroom, and griped the sink hard, staring at himself in the mirror. "Get it together Duo!" Making up his mind, he quickly stripped and unbraided his hair and stepped into the shower unit.

Feeling slightly refreshed after being sprayed with a warm mist of water and air-dried, he stepped out of the shower in search of a towel for his still slightly damp hair. Finding none visible, he opened the cabinet below the sink. Finding what he was looking for, Duo pulled out a fluffy towel when a small med-kit fell to the ground. Without thinking Duo placed it back on the stack of towels and exited the bathroom, vigorously toweling his hair.

Freshly dressed and hair back in its usual braid, Duo sat back on the bed. The holographic bird's eye view of the apartment continued to float in front of him. Trowa had moved to the sitting room and appeared to be napping on the couch, his tall frame stretched out on the couch, an arm thrown over his face.

Duo watched the image intently for several long minutes before pushing himself to his feet. He went back into the bathroom and retrieved the med-kit from under sink. Popping it open, he smiled darkly when he found a scalpel. 'Fool,' he thought to himself.

Gripping the handle of scalpel tightly in his hand, he carefully opened the bedroom door and peered out into the hallway. Keeping his hand behind him, he crept down the hall towards the sitting room, spotting Trowa's prone form on the couch.

'Cocky bastard,' Duo thought to himself. 'I could slit his throat in his sleep.'

"Quatre hates it when I get blood on the furniture," Trowa commented idly, as if he were talking about the weather.

Duo froze in place, the scalpel turning slippery in his sweaty grasp.

"Well? Aren't you going to take your shot at me?"

"You've had Leo spying on me!" Duo accused the prone man.

"Hmm, no. Your actions were easy to predict, especially after hearing the med-kit fall out of the cabinet."

"You weren't sleeping."

"No, just resting. I know better than to underestimate you." Trowa swung his feet of the couch and sat up. "I saw your work on L2, not to mention the fact that you managed to smuggle yourself here right under my nose."

"Don't patronize me!" Duo retorted.

"I'm not. I'm simply acknowledging your skills."

Duo opened and closed his mouth, unbalanced by Trowa's calm demeanour.

"Why are you so intent on killing me?" Trowa wondered, crossing one leg over the other and holding Duo's panicked gaze with his single green eye.

"I'm not a cold-blooded killer like you!" Duo snapped back.

"I think the scalpel in your right hand says otherwise."

Duo merely glared.

"I've been wondering since the night you recognized me… How did you know that I was _Pierrot_?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"I'm facing death, I think I have a right to know. Besides," he added with a smile, "your revenge won't be complete if I die without knowing why."

"Shit! You're freakin' crazy!" Duo exclaimed, backing up a few steps.

"Very possible," the tall man shrugged. "That doesn't change the fact that your animosity for me is very personal."

Duo remained silent for several long seconds, the vein in his temple throbbing. "You tricked her! You tricked her into believing that you were on our side!" he spoke at last, tears in his eyes. "An' Solo went after her and ended up in the hands of your deranged scientists!"

Trowa sat up straight, his nonchalant attitude gone. "Her?" he asked quietly, his gaze serious.

"You don't remember? Nevermind, you probably lied to and manipulated so many of us that you don't even remember!"

"No, I never forget a face. Who are you talking about?"

"Hilde!" Duo all but screamed.

Trowa looked genuinely puzzled. "Hilde? You mean the _Reborn_ girl? She was on the list of the _Reborn_ transported from L3 to L2 but I've never interacted with her."

A hint of doubt entered Duo's eyes. "Whaddya mean you never met her! She said you saved her from getting-" Duo couldn't finish the sentence but his meaning was clear.

Recognition dawned in Trowa's face. "Cropped dark hair, green eyes and slight build?"

"Yeah."

Trowa nodded. "There was an incident during transportation, some of the _Liberators_ thought they were entitled to some… entertainment. I disposed of them. I never knew her name and I never saw her after that."

"Liar! You lured her away, promising that you were on our side, that you would help us topple the S.A. from the inside. She went to meet you and she never came back!"

Trowa shook his head. "That wasn't me."

"Oh yeah? After she left and Solo went after her, I went through her stuff and found communications between you and her. You made plans to meet! And-"

Trowa raised a hand to stop Duo's tirade. "Slow down, when was this?"

"What?"

"When did I allegedly contact Hilde?"

"_Allegedly_? You fuckin' signed all your communications with _Pierrot_!" Duo spat but relented when the taller man held his gaze unflinchingly. "You started communicating in January of last year, she went to meet you in February."

Trowa nodded to himself. "So someone was pretending to me be," he mused more to himself than Duo.

"Don't pull that crap on me!"

"Call Howard."

"What?"

"Call Howard and ask him where I was January and February of last year."

"Why the hell should I do that?"

"You clearly wouldn't believe me if I told you where I was those two months."

Keeping a firm grip on the scalpel, Duo pulled out his comm unit with his left hand and quickly dialed Howard. 'If anything, I can get the ol' man to get me outta here,' he thought to himself. 'No way I'd win if I tried to take him now.'

"Kid?" Howard's image popped up on the screen. "Everything ok?"

Duo didn't know how to reply to the question so he opted to get straight to the point. "I got a question. Where was Trowa," he gritted out the name with clear disdain, "in January and February of last year?"

"Huh?" Howard clearly looked puzzled by the question before his expression turned sombre. "Well kid, he was in a coma."

"What?" Duo looked like he'd just had the wind knocked out of him. "Are you sure?"

"Yep, you never forget something like that. He got caught in an explosion, we all thought he was dead but 'bout a week later we found him floatin' in space! Spacesuit kept him alive but bein' out in space like that takes its toll. We had him tucked away in Sweepers med-ship until he got back on his feet. Hell o' a recovery if you ask me."

"B-but…" Duo stuttered, shell-shocked, the scalpel slipping from his sweaty grasp to embed itself in the carpeted floor.

"What's goin' on kid? What's with this sudden interest in Trowa?"

"Evidently someone pretending to be _Pierrot_ was in contact with an UNDIS from Duo's group," Trowa spoke up from where he was seated on the couch.

"Woah," Howard's jaw dropped open. "He knows yer _Pierrot_? Wait… this isn't good, sounds like yer cover might've been blown Trowa."

"Perhaps. We don't have all the facts yet," Trowa replied calmly.

Howard stroked his beard in thought. "I don't really get what's goin' on over there but I can feel the tension from here… I think you chickies could use a change o' scenery. Plus there's work to be done!"

"What do you mean Howard?" Trowa asked.

"Well… the space for yer new Headquarters is ready but it still needs to be set up. With what's been circulatin' the news feeds, I'm guessin' that the others are busy. How 'bout you two come down an' get the ball rollin'? No goods gonna come from you chickies bein' cooped up all day."

Trowa shrugged. "Sure. We'll be there soon."

"Good!" Howard crowed happily. "I gotta get goin' kid. Lots of work to do, I'll see ya when ya get here!" The line went dead and Duo stood blinking dumbly at the comm unit in his hand.

"You should do something about your hand before we leave," Trowa told him as he leaned down to pull the scalpel from the carpet.

Duo looked at his hand in surprise to find himself bleeding from a shallow cut. On autopilot, he returned to his room and retrieved a roll of gauze from the open med-kit. Wrapping the gauze securely around his palm after he dabbed the cut with antiseptic, he tied it off and remained sitting on the bed, staring blankly at his hand.

"Are you ready?" Trowa stood leaning against the doorjamb, dressed casually in a turtle neck, light jacket and jeans.

"You're not going in uniform?"

"And give away our new base of operations?" Trowa asked wryly.

"Oh," Duo replied numbly, his mind still miles away.

"Let me see your hand." Duo automatically extended his hand before he realized what he was doing.

"Hey!" he protested when he felt cool metal encase his wrist. "Huh? A watch?" he examined the silver watch, noting the analogue face and expensive looking metal.

"It's a tracking device. It also contains a small vial of potent barbiturates. Try to run and they'll be injected into your system. Same thing goes if you try to remove the watch."

"Anything else?" Duo groused, lifting up his arm to display the watch.

A corner of Trowa's mouth quirked upwards. "It tells time."

"Fine." Duo got to his feet and followed Trowa out of the room. When they got back to the sitting room the wall had vanished and Duo could see straight into the rest of the apartment. Stepping across the threshold, he gazed further into opulent apartment, his curiosity clearly written on his features.

"I'll give you a tour when we come back."

"Why not now?" Duo retorted just as Sandrock emerged from the shadows, his sinuous form slinking forward on delicate legs. His head swiveled towards Duo, his large fan-like ears twitching and golden eyes fixed on the braided man.

"On second thought, later's good," Duo muttered as he bee-lined for the front door.

Trowa chuckled softly. "You sure? I think he likes you."

* * *

><p>Noin strode into the morgue, her face spoke of great weariness and dark circles rimmed her eyes. Even so, she stood tall, her body fueled by the last vestiges of adrenaline.<p>

"I'm not going to like what you're going to tell me, am I?"

Sally looked up from where she had just finished covering the body in front of her with a white sheet.

"Nineteen dead, I'm expecting more though. There are ten in critical condition last I heard. I've sent a complete list to your tablet."

Noin pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered something that almost sounded like a prayer. "I'm guessing that's not all?"

"I was able to determine who the intended target was."

Noin looked up sharply. "You were? I thought they had staggered the deaths and their method of killing to conceal their true target?"

"Yes, approximately one third were killed by laser shots, one third by poison and the rest had their throats slit. One of the bodies, however, showed slight signs of torture. I only knew to look for it because the tox screen showed traces of truth serum. None of the other poisoning victims had it in their system. What's more, they chose a poison that, given time, would completely eliminate all traces of the truth serum."

Noin frowned. "That means it took longer to get the information they wanted… or the killings were discovered earlier than they anticipated."

"Considering who their target was, I'd say the former," Sally's tone was sombre.

Noin took a deep breath. "Who was it?"

"Justice Noventa."

* * *

><p>"Are we already here?" Duo asked when Trowa stopped parked the car in what appeared to be a shopping district.<p>

"No, just picking up some supplies," Trowa replied as he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Supplies?" Duo parroted back as he too stepped out. "Oh!" he inhaled deeply as various scents assaulted his senses. Half a beat later, his stomach was growling mournfully.

Trowa smirked almost imperceptibly as he led Duo to a small café. "Shall we have something to eat while we're here?"

Upon entering, they were pounced upon by the host and led to a table by the window. Menus were promptly produced, napkins were deposited on laps and ice water was poured. Duo glanced around him in shock, he'd never been to a place like this before, no less been waited on before. He tapped the digital menu screens to life and frowned.

"It's in gibberish!"

"French."

"French?" Duo raised a brow at Trowa's reply. "But French's been a dead language for centuries now."

Trowa shrugged. "Certain members of society like to use it as a pastime."

"You mean to brag about their intelligence and status?" His eyes fell on the prices of the dishes, the only part of the menu he could read, and scowled.

"There's a translate function."

"Yeah, yeah," Duo groused irritably. "I see it."

Five minutes later a smartly dressed waiter appeared to take their order.

"_Un café et la soupe du jour avec une salade et du pain,"_ Trowa ordered smoothly.

"_Certainement monsieur Barton. Et pour votre ami?"_ The waiter turned politely to Duo.

"I'll have the same," Duo muttered.

"Certainly sir," the waiter bowed with a flourish before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Pretentious bastard," Duo grumbled the minute the waiter was out of earshot.

Trowa shrugged. "I have a certain image I need to maintain."

Duo merely glared.

"Something's been bothering me," Trowa continued, undeterred by Duo's dark look. "We've never met before now and I've taken great care to never be photographed, how did you identify me?"

Duo ground his jaw angrily but decided to answer. "Hilde was an artist. She sketched a picture of you. Well more than one… she had a fuckin' sketchbook full of you. She idolized, you, hell, I bet she was in love with you."

"You seem deeply affected by this. Were you in love with her?"

Mindful of the other customers around them, Duo lowered his voice to a venomous hiss. "Yeah I loved her, she was one of us but no, I wasn't _in love_ with her. That was Solo. But she spent her time pinnin' away for some asshole like you!"

A light dawned in Trowa's eyes. "_You_ were in love with Solo."

Duo held back a snarl.

Trowa chuckled quietly to himself. "It seems like I was inadvertently involved in a love triangle… no… love square without my knowledge."

"You fuckin'-" Duo's retort was cut off when the waiter returned with a large tray. He placed a bowl of soup, a plate of salad with a bread roll and a cup of coffee in front of each man.

"Something wrong?" Trowa asked as he sipped his first spoonful of soup.

Duo watched him with narrowed eyes before calmly reaching across the table and taking Trowa's bowl and replacing it with his own. Trowa watched with an amused smirk as Duo repeated the process with his salad, bread roll and coffee.

"You're quite vigilant," the green-eyed man remarked.

"I wouldn't have lived this long if I wasn't," Duo glared. "Besides, you're known by the staff here. It woulda been easy for you to arrange for them to have my food poisoned ahead of time."

Trowa shrugged. "Or I could have predicted that you would switch our plates, I could have even taken an antidote ahead of time."

Duo froze, soup-spoon halfway to his mouth.

"I'm joking. I don't like using such tedious methods."

Duo held his stare for several long moments before deliberately slurping his soup loudly, his eyes defiant. The two men dined silently, their movements slow and precise, neither letting down their guard.

Just as Duo was finishing his last bite of bread and sip of coffee, his attention was captured by an elderly couple dining two tables away. Their clothes spoke of their wealth and the haughty way they were consuming their lunch spoke of high social status.

"The nouveaux-riches have no class whatsoever," the lady sniffed as she glanced their way. "They debase us by _choosing_ to take partners of the same gender."

"I couldn't agree more my dear," the man replied. "It is our birthright to have conventional unions and to reproduce heirs. These _homosexuals_," the man pronounced each syllable purposefully, "sully us with their presence among our ranks. Same same-gender companionships are meant for the lower classes, those not worthy enough to reproduce."

Duo grasped his knife in a white-knuckled grip. "I thought this kind of discrimination was a thing of the past? Same-sex unions have been legal and accepted since before the formation of the colonies!" he hissed quietly.

Trowa shrugged. "Those with higher social standing always need to look for reasons to justify their position above others."

Duo angrily slurped the remainder of his coffee. "You don't need to tell me, I've had to deal with it all my life. Guess it's not gonna change for me anytime soon."

Trowa placed his coffee cup back down on its saucer and flicked two fingers in the air. Moments later another waiter appeared at their table with a small scanner in hand. Trowa handed over his card which was promptly scanned and returned to its owner.

"Thank you for your patronage, monsieurs," the waiter bowed deeply as the two men exited the café.

"Thanks for lunch," Duo grumbled under his breath as he docilely followed Trowa through the shopping district, his eyes darting from storefront to storefront.

The taller man paused mid-step and regarded Duo out of the corner of his eye.

"Sister Helen always said to give our thanks, even to our enemies," Duo answered Trowa's unspoken question as he studied the window dressing of a clothing shop. "Even those S.A. bastards who showed up to drop off our 'rations'."

"You're welcome," Trowa replied simply, hands in pocket as he strode towards some unknown destination.

Thrown off balance, Duo stared after him open-mouthed before hurrying to catch up. His breath caught in his throat when Trowa opened the door to a small shop which turned out to be a bookstore. He stilled in the doorway and stared transfixed at the towering shelves of well-thumbed books and inhaled the musty air.

"Quite something isn't it?" A frail-looking elderly woman appeared next to him, peering up at him through her glasses.

"Yeah…" Duo continued to stare, at a loss for words.

"It's such a shame," the old woman continued. "There are so few books left in the colonies today. Less than a thousand new books are printed each year, and most of those who buy books these days, whether new or old, only buy them as trophies."

"Er… that could have something to do with prices…" Duo eyed the price displays on the shelf closest to him.

"Supply and demand," a second, deeper voice joined in. "Here's what you asked for Mr. Barton." A stocky dark-haired man in his thirties handed a wrapped package to Trowa. "Will you be needing anything else?"

"That's all for now," Trowa replied as he accepted the package and turned to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" the old woman wrapped her shawl more securely around her shoulders. "Come back again when you have more time dearie," she told Duo as he gave the shop one more look before following Trowa out the door.

"So what's in the package?" Duo couldn't help himself from asking.

"Need to Know."

"Yeah, yeah, useless Duo has no need to know, whatever… woah!" Duo reeled back as through struck.

Trowa chuckled softly under his breath as Duo wandered off, as though in a trance. He followed at a sedate pace, his smile widening at the sight of Duo staring open mouthed at the window display of a bakery.

"Do you want to go in?" he asked once he'd reached Duo's side.

"Got no money," Duo replied sourly.

"Of course you do. I'm sure someone must have told you about your basic credit allocation as Heero's companion. Give me your ID card," Trowa ordered, his hand outstretched.

Duo frowned distrustfully but handed his ID card over to Trowa who scanned it with his comm unit and showed it to Duo. "It's not much, but you can afford a box of pastries."

Duo's eyes widened. "Huh," he responded but he still looked undecided. "Wait, I didn't say I wanted any!" he protested when Trowa proceeded to enter the bakery.

"I'm getting some. I think Howard and his crew would enjoy some fresh pastries as thanks for helping us move," the tall agent replied as he joined the end of a rather long line.

* * *

><p>Heero listened to the ringing of his comm unit, a deep crease between his brows. Finally giving up, he dialed another number.<p>

"Barton," the soft but deep voice answered after two rings.

"Why isn't he answering? Is he alright? Were you forced to subdue him?" Heero demanded in a rush.

"He's preoccupied, yes and no."

"What?"

"Hmm… I'll show you."

Moments later an image appeared on Heero's comm unit. In the small picture, Duo was bent studiously over a bakery display case, his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth and his braid falling over his shoulder.

"Why is he outside?" Heero demanded.

"Hmm? Oh, just running a few errands before we go to meet Howard."

"I told you-"

"Be reasonable Heero. We can't keep him confined forever. How are things at the mansion?"

"Something's off. Whoever is responsible didn't try very hard to harm Relena. I think the threat was more to frighten her."

"Hmmm… so someone wants to scare her into resigning? Or into pushing through a new bill? Maybe to cause unrest in Parliament?"

"I don't know yet. You heard about Noventa?"

"What about him?"

"He's dead, killed in the attack this morning. Sally suspects that he was tortured for information."

Trowa was silent for several long moments. "I think we need to meet. Can you manage to get away for a few hours?"

"Yes, I can manage. Chang also said that he would be going to our new headquarters, he'll probably meet you there."

"Roger." Trowa cut the line.

Duo looked away from where he was watching the cashier carefully box up his order. "Who was that? Or is that need to know too?"

"It was Heero, he'll be meeting us there."

"Oh," Duo paused before turning to the cashier, "I'm sorry miss! Could I add one more? I'd like an apple tart please."

"Certainly sir," the girl smiled, accustomed to customers caving and making last minute additions to their orders.

* * *

><p>"Where's Heero?" Relena asked as she emerged from her bedroom, her usually pristine hair mussed from sleep.<p>

"Did you sleep well?" Noin asked from where she stood on guard outside of the Minister's room.

"Yes, thank you," Relena rubbed at her reddened eyes. "But I feel like a child, taking a nap in the afternoon like this."

"It's alright Minister, you've had quite a shock," Noin said, unable to hide the affection in her voice. "Your parents called while you were asleep, they want to come see you."

"Oh?" Relena looked joyous for a moment before frowning. Taking a hold of Noin's arm, she rested her head against the taller woman's shoulder, like a child seeking comfort from an older sibling. "No, Dorothy says it's best that they don't come here. I don't want to submit them to any kind of danger. After all, they've done so much for me already. Taking me in, raising me as their own…"

Noin grimaced. "Relena, you may not be related by blood but you are they daughter. They are your family!"

Relena smiled sadly. "I know but… Where's Heero?" she repeated once more.

"He's running down a lead."

"He's not here?" Relena looked up with wide-eyes.

"This is surprising," Dorothy commented when she suddenly appeared by Relena's side. "Why isn't he here guarding the Minister? Isn't that his _duty_?"

Noin groaned inwardly. "The situation is different from the rebellion. Back then, society was in turmoil, the government was unstable and there were threats from all around. The case at hand is a distinct, individual threat. We will better be able to protect the Minister by finding the source of the threat instead of waiting idly by for another threat or even an attack."

Dorothy's eyes narrowed. "I hardly think it is necessary for _Heero_ to be the one investigating, you have countless agents for that."

"Unfortunately, my agents have their hands full with the attack on the Empire Complex. And Agent Yuy is one of our top investigative agents."

"I still think it would be better to have Agent Yuy posted here at all times," Dorothy snapped back, with barely concealed venom.

Noin stiffened but refused to back down. "_Miss Catalonia_," she put great emphasis on the platinum blonde's name, "I don't deign to tell you how to do your job, so please don't tell me how I should do mine. Agent Yuy will uncover the threat and if necessary, will take all measure to eliminate it."

Dorothy studied Noin, her grey eyes calculating. After a pause, she pasted on a sickly sweet smile. "I apologize Ms. Noin, I am just a little shaken up, I am sure you can understand. I am just very worried about Ms. Relena."

"Of course," Noin nodded curtly, her mouth still set in a grim line.

"Ms. Relena, if you are feeling better after your rest, I have some documents I would like you to look over?" Dorothy raised a forked brow in question.

"Yes of course. I welcome the distraction," Relena replied immediately, docilely allowing herself to be led down the hall by Dorothy.

* * *

><p>"This is!" Duo exclaimed when he recognized the location.<p>

"I almost forgot, you had your first run-in with the bionics here," Trowa remarked from behind Duo, balancing a large take-out box in his hand.

"Hey, why are they called the Kushrenada Gardens?" Duo wondered as they walked among the stone statues of trees and shrubs peppered with the odd Greek-styled marble statue.

"This garden was constructed in the first years of the L1's construction. Back then, public greenhouses and bio-domes weren't available due to various logistical issues. Plant life was still strictly controlled and scientists were unsure of how plant life would fare in the colony environment. The Krushrenada family had the resources to create their own private bio-dome but they wanted to continue their Earth tradition of having expansive public parks and decided to create a stone replica that could be open to the public."

"Huh," Duo mulled over the information. "The Kushrenadas had ties to the S.A. during the war didn't they? But the last one, whatshisname, he defected early on didn't he?"

"He did," Trowa replied quietly. "We're here."

Duo followed him into what looked like a Versailles-style mansion but his jaw dropped the minute he entered. "Woah!"

The interior was opulent with grandiose columns and winding staircases, as expected, but interspersed with the lavish decorations were art pieces made from a mix of scrap metal, moon rocks and asteroids. Further in the foyer was pedestal with a large salvage arm on display. Small gadgets of every kind were scattered here and there and further into the building, Duo could hear the hum of various machines.

"Ah! Yer finally here! Welcome, welcome!" Howard shouted as lightly jogged down the opulent staircase, almost too nimble for a man his age.

"It didn't take you long to make this place your own," Trowa remarked when Howard reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Ho ho! You like the decorations?" Howard laughed and clapped Duo on the shoulder.

"For the Sweepers, as thanks from the Preventers," Trowa stated as he handed the pastry box to Howard.

"From Gelli's Bakery! Oh, the laddies will love this! I'll take this to the break room, Kid ya want a tour?"

"Uh sure?" Duo replied as Howard steered him further into the building.

"Kung-Fu Master and Wonder-boy are waiting for ya downstairs!" Howard called back over his shoulder.

"Uh… I don't think-" Duo began.

"Relax kid, you can meet with the boys later," Howard told him as he led him into a lounge. Depositing the pastry box on a table he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Ladies and Gents! We have Gelli's in the break room!"

The response was almost immediate. Agents dressed in Sweepers coveralls thundered into the room and converged on the box. Within minutes the pastries were all gone. Howard steered him around the room, introducing to him various salvagers as 'just Duo'. The Sweepers greeted him cheerily, none asking any questions for which Duo was grateful.

After the whirlwind meet and greet with various members of the Sweepers crew, Duo was dragged through the rest of Sweepers headquarters, each additional room that he visited, adding to his awe and shock.

"Ya like my toys kid?" Howard asked when Duo had spent nearly 20 minutes inspecting a piece of space-salvaging equipment.

"Yeah!" Duo enthused, "It's amazing how you've compartmentalize the neutron combustor! And the wiring! It's a thing of beauty? How'd ya manage to get right up in there?"

"Ah, trade secret," Howard winked. "But I'd be willing to divulge it if ya agree to join us."

"What?" Duo looked up in shock. "Whaddya mean join you?"

"As an employee of course. Never seen a kid with such an instinct for machines like you Kid!"

"An employee?" Duo stuttered.

"Sure! Ya want some pocket money right? Plus ya must be gettin' bored just sittin' around doin' nothing."

"Well yeah but I don't think Heero'll-"

"Oh don't ya worry about him kid! I have no doubt he'd give ya all of Jupiters moons if ya asked for them."

"Huh?" Duo blinked.

"Nah, the person ya gotta convince is Ms. Noin. She may stubborn and by-the-book but she'll listen to a valid argument. Plus, underneath all that steel an' hellfire is a heart o' gold!"

"Valid argument? But…" Duo's face fell slightly, "My status may have changed, but if you really get down to it, I'm still a prisoner…"

"Untapped potential chickie! It'd be a shame to let what's in here," he tapped Duo on the forehead with a gnarled finger, "go to waste. I'll talk to Noin for ya Kid."

* * *

><p>"The safe in Noventa's home was broken into. I also went to his office and found evidence of tampering on his computer." Wufei reported as he slotted Nataku's drives into place, deftly crisscrossing cables as he plugged connectors into their ports.<p>

"Tampering?" Heero asked in monotone as he quietly plugged in Nataku's monitors from the other side.

"I'm guessing some tried to download files from the Justice's computer," Wufei pulled a crushed hard drive from his inside coat pocket. "I won't know which files until Nataku is up and running."

Trowa walked over and plucked the battered hard drive from Wufei's grasp. "I think 'tampered' is a bit of an understatement. How do you know whoever broke in wasn't just trying to destroy the data on the Justice's computer?"

"Two reasons. The first is that it would have been more efficient to run a wiping program. Second, I also found this." Wufei pulled out an evidence bag containing what appeared to be a pen cap. "It's the cap to a flash drive. One of those models disguised as a fountain pen."

Trowa took the bag and lifted it up to the right. "You're right. Good eye Wufei," he commented quietly. "But why smash the computer? They could just have easily wiped the hard drive after downloading the files."

"I believe they ran out of time," Wufei surmised.

Heero grunted in assent. "City hall has a rotating guards every 15 minutes during non-operational hours. There's no way they could have broken the encryptions in 15 minutes so they must have downloaded entire folders. That takes time."

Wufei nodded. "And a good wiping program takes at least 10 minutes. They could have started the program and left, but leaving a physical copy of the program plugged into the computer would be unwise since the physical copy can be traced to its source."

"So they had no choice but to physically destroy the computer. Still… why not just take out the guards?"

"I would speculate that it wasn't the bionics that broke into Justice Noventa's office," Wufei stated quietly. "The bionics, even if it was just one, could have taken out two guards easily."

"So it was the work of someone who wasn't confident that they could take down the guards and still make their escape…" Trowa finished for him. "What about the threat to the Minister?" Trowa turned to Heero.

"We found no trace of any attempt to infiltrate the mansion from the outside. The security feeds show nothing unusual or suspicious outside the Minister's mansion."

"Where was the note found?" Wufei asked.

"In Relena's study."

"What about the security feeds there?"

"There are none," Heero replied crossly. "Something about the privacy of legislators."

Trowa tapped his chin in thought. "They could have interfered with the security feeds. We should run the feeds through Nataku. How much longer until she's up and running Wufei?"

The Chinese agent scowled at the uni-banged man lounging in a nearby chair. "This would go a lot faster if you helped!"

Trowa shrugged. "Last time I tried to help you, you ranted at me for using blue cables."

"Red is the colour of good fortune!" Wufei countered, waving a pair of red cables. "Blue cables disturb Nataku's processes," he declared as though it was the most logical thing in the world.

"Even if the feeds were tampered with," Heero continued, ignoring his colleagues' bickering, "it still means that someone on the inside was involved. But Noin and I believe that it was solely an inside job, that there was no outside entry into the mansion. We think that the alarms were tripped from the inside."

"What was Catalonia's reaction?" Trowa asked suddenly after several tense minutes of silence.

"She seemed more intent on keeping me there than concerned with Relena's safety," Heero replied with a grimace.

"Speaking of Dermail's granddaughter, I discovered something troubling when I visited City Hall this morning. I spoke to a Ms. Veiga, the head of records and she said that the Catalonia girl tried to gain access to Yuy's electronic records. Fortunately Ms. Veiga is a sensible woman and only printed her out a copy of Yuy's basic information. She also said that Catalonia was very adamant that Justice Noventa not be called to break the seal of privacy."

The three men traded worried glances.

* * *

><p>"Did you get the files?" Dorothy demanded in a whisper, her hand cupped around the phone's mouthpiece.<p>

"Yeah, but I had to smash the computer so that they couldn't figure out which files we're after."

"You fool!" Dorothy hissed. "Now they'll know that we broke into Noventa's office."

"Hey, there wasn't enough time because _someone_ didn't manage to have the guards switched. If you're that upset, you should have gotten your little 'pets' to do the job!"

"Fine! But don't think I'll forgive this little blunder!"

"Now, now Ms. Catalonia, don't strike at the hand that scratches your back. You wouldn't want your grandfather to know what you've been up to, now would you?"

"You wretch!" Dorothy snarled, "Don't have delusions of climbing above your station! Just proceed with the second part of the plan, we need exert more pressure on the Preventers."

"So soon? Very well Ms. Catalonia. But just remember that it's your head on the line with Midek, not mine."

Dorothy slammed the phone back into its cradle, her face set into a fearsome scowl.

"Dorothy? Are you in there?" The gruff voice was accompanied by a knock on the door.

Dorothy stiffened for a moment before taking a deep breath and smoothing down her skirts. "Yes grandpapa," she answered, rising from her seat and opening the door.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Duke Dermail demanded, peering into the darkened bedroom.

"Just gathering my thoughts Grandpapa. It's been a demanding week."

The proud man's visage softened for a moment. "I know you are disappointed that we lost the bid for the Kushrenada properties, but there are more important matters at hand." By the time he finished speaking, his expression had returned to cold and foreboding.

"I understand Granpapa. I am working hard on separating Heero Yuy from the Preventers. Unfortunately he is very stubborn on the issue. Ms. Noin is also proving to be an obstacle."

"Is that so? I trust that you'll be able to handle her?"

"Of course Grandpapa. _I_ will not disappoint."

* * *

><p>"Hey chickies!" the tense silence was broken as Howard strode into the basement office with Duo in tow. "Woah? Why the long faces?"<p>

"Nothing vital, just that our investigations have stalled," Wufei replied, stone-faced.

"And we have more moles among our ranks than we had previously thought," Trowa added.

"Barton!" Wufei scolded with significant look towards the two men standing in the doorway.

"Hmm…" Howard stroked his goatee. "Well good thing ya chickies made the move then, isn't it?"

"Yes, we are very grateful for all your help," Wufei inclined his head regally. "If you will excuse me, I need to go to the communications room to finish Nataku's calibrations to the network."

"Sure thing. I think ya'll like the customized equipment I've installed," Howard winked as the Chinese agent brushed past him.

"Oh, and come with me Cat-boy, I wanna go over some of the specs for the customized additions to your new underground complex," Howard gestured for Trowa to follow.

"Cat-boy?" Duo wondered innocently.

All three men stiffened visibly. "Ah, don't mind a silly ol' man and his cooky nicknames," Howard started to ramble.

"He's referring to my affection for felines," Trowa interjected smoothly.

"Oh," Duo nodded, mollified. "He does like to keep creepy cats as pets."

"See ya around later Kiddo!" Howard called over his shoulder as he was herded out the door by Trowa.

"Umm so…" Duo fidgeted, left alone with Heero. "I take it things aren't going so well?"

"We are facing some difficulties," Heero replied curtly.

"Oh…" Duo faltered.

After a moment of contemplation, Heero carefully breached a new topic. "You seem to be getting along with Trowa…"

Duo glared. "I'm tolerating him. Turns out that he couldn't have caused Hilde and Solo's deaths but that doesn't mean that I trust him. He's still S.A. scum and a smug bastard on top of that."

It was Heero's turn to falter. "Oh…"

"Umm.. here," Duo thrust out a small box to Heero. "I bought you this. Well, it's _your_ money, but still… it was kinda nice to be able to buy something ya know… in a real store an' all." A small blush dusted Duo's cheeks and he kept his eyes firmly glued on his feet.

"Thank you," Heero accepted the box carefully. The moment he lifted the lid, the aroma of apples and cinnamon filled the room.

"They had all different kinds… I didn't know which ones ya'd like, but ya seem to like apples so…"

"I do," Heero replied as he took a large bite out of the small apple tart. "Did you already have one?"

"Two actually," Duo continued to stare at the floor. "I couldn't decide between mango and raspberry so I got both. Never had either before… they were really good. Sorry I used the credits without askin'."

Heero shook his head as he took another bite. "The funds in that account belong to you, you don't need my permission."

"Oh, thanks."

"Here," held out the last bite of apple tart. "You should try this one too."

Duo looked up, slightly surprised. Unable to resist the delicious-smelling aroma, he tilted his head down and accepted the morsel from Heero's fingers.

"Mmm… this one's really good too," he commented, licking his lips.

Heero nodded numbly, his fingers tingling.

* * *

><p>"Wow, I'm beat," Duo commented as the elevator reached the penthouse of the Winner building.<p>

"Heero suggested you use the pool but I think we can postpone until tomorrow," Trowa remarked as he unlocked the door and led the way into the hidden apartment, the wall closing behind them the moment they stepped into the sitting room.

"Yeah," Duo bee-lined for the couch and flopped down, limbs sprawled askew.

"Dinner?" Trowa asked as he popped the takeaway dinner containers into the heating unit.

"Yeah, I'm starving."

Trowa returned from the kitchen and held two plates out to Duo. "Which one do you want?"

Duo grabbed one from Trowa's left hand. "You learn fast."

Trowa smirked faintly, "I don't want to have my throat slit during the night."

Duo forced down a laugh and schooled his features into a scowl. "I'd sleep with one-eye open if I were you! But then again, you're probably gonna retreat to the main apartment, safe behind that magnetic wall of yours ya coward."

Trowa shrugged. "It pays to be vigilant."

"Cute," Duo mocked, un-amused with Trowa's reference to their conversation at lunch. Deeming their conversation finished, he turned his attention to his dinner.

"No, not for you sweetheart," Trowa spoke in a soft, affectionate tone, seemingly out of the blue.

"What?" Duo demanded around a mouthful of steamed vegetable. He almost choked on his dinner when he saw the fluffy cat sitting at Trowa's feet. Although not as big as Sandrock, it was still large by domestic standards. Duo eyed the cream and black striped cat, transfixed by how its bushy tail was almost the same size as its body. 'Damn, when did that thing come in?' he wondered to himself.

"This is Heavyarms," Trowa informed him as he scratched under the cat's chin. "She's a Maine Coon."

Duo shifted uneasily in seat. "So this is your cat?"

"Yes," Trowa replied, the affection clear in his single green eye. "Why don't you greet our guest hmmm?"

As though understanding his command, the cat's head swiveled towards Duo. A second later she had jumped onto the couch next to Duo.

"Umm.. I … hey, her paws are huge!" Duo exclaimed as he caught sight of her forepaws.

"Yes, she's a polydactyl?"

"Pterodactyl? What the hell? Those are dinosaurs!" Duo babbled as the cat sniffed curiously at his elbow and then fixed her eyes on his plate.

"No, 'poly'. It's the derivate of Greek word for 'many fingers'. She has seven toes on each of her forepaws."

"I suppose they breed them like this?" Duo noted with some disgust.

"No, nowadays it's considered an undesirable genetic mutation."

"So…"

"I relieved her from some idiot that was going to euthanize her."

"Oh," Duo set his empty plate on the coffee table. For the first time, he heard a hint of anger enter the unflappably calm agent. The cat sniffed at his empty plate before returning her attention to Duo. Tentatively, he reached out a hand, prepared to snatch it away at a moment's notice. Heavyarms for her part rubbed her fluffy head against his hand and flicked out her tongue. Duo shivered at the rough texture of her tongue but didn't withdraw his hand. Soon a rumbling purr filled the room.

"Why is she called Heavyarms? It's kinda a weird name."

"Try picking her up."

Duo looked skeptical for a moment before carefully scooping the cat up into his arms. Heavyarms' purring increased, a steady rumble against his chest.

"Well she's pretty heavy but not _that_ heavy," Duo remarked.

Trowa just smirked in reply.

A moment later Duo set her back down and Heavywarms immediately began to meow piteously. "Ok, ok!" Duo conceded and picked up the cat once more.

"Hey," Duo began when their conversation stilled. "How the hell did ya pull off a companionship with Quatre, heir to the richest family in the colonies?"

"It's more his story to tell…"

"Don't avoid the topic!" Distrust and darkness crept back into Duo's tone. "I told ya all about Hilde an' Solo."

Trowa sat back in his chair, his expression distant. "I used to be a mercenary, fighting and killing for the highest bidder. I met Quatre when I was hired to assassinate him."

The breath left Duo's lungs with a whoosh.

"I managed to get past the Magnacs," Trowa continued, "but when I got to his room, instead of being asleep, he was up and waiting for me. He didn't fight me though. He just raised his arms and surrendered. He said that if it were by my hand, he would be happy to die."

"Why?"

"He said that we had like-minded souls."

"The hell? Was he on drugs or something?"

Trowa smiled slightly. "Quatre has always been perceptive beyond what should be humanly capable. He said that both he and I were similar, that we both lived with no sense of purpose, uncaring of whether we lived or died."

"I found that I couldn't kill him after he'd said that. I'd never met anyone who was able to pinpoint the source of my personal hell."

"What a load of bull, he totally used reverse-psychology on ya!"

"Perhaps," Trowa replied. "But for once I felt connected to another human being. He gave me an ultimatum then: either I kill him or we both find a purpose. I left the mercenaries after that and infiltrated the S.A.; Quatre secretly took over his father's business and built up his 'reckless heir' persona."

"So essentially, you both reinvented yourselves at the same time?"

"Yes, and things proceeded from there."

Duo chewed on his lip, contemplating Trowa's story with diminishing skepticism. Unwilling to acknowledge the fact, he abandoned the topic and turned to the cat in his arms. "Ugh, it feels like she weighs a tonne!"

Trowa chuckled quietly to himself. "You don't have to keep carrying her, she'll settle for your lap."

"Thank God," Duo plopped the cat into his lap. "Woah!" he exclaimed when Sandrock materialized through the wall.

"Ah, he's come to get his cuddles too."

"That _thing_ is not cuddly," Duo retorted as he patted Heavyarms' fluffy fur. "And you turn into a sappy mush around these cats," he threw at Trowa. The tall man merely shrugged and collected their empty plates, taking them into the kitchen.

Duo flinched when Sandrock jumped onto the couch next to him but didn't move, unwilling to dislodge the purring feline from his lap. Sandrock, too, took up his own version of purring and blinked his large eyes at Duo, his front paws busily kneading the couch cushions.

"I think ya need to get your claws trimmed, demon," Duo muttered as he wearily eyed the Serval's wicked-looking talons.

* * *

><p>Heero wearily pushed open the door to Quatre's penthouse, his shoulders slumped.<p>

"I see you've managed to escape for the night," Trowa remarked from the shadows.

"Noin managed to convince Relena that the 'Labour Act' applies now that martial law is no longer in effect."

"Well, don't become too complacent, Dorothy Catalonia is a genius at finding legal loopholes."

Heero glared. "Don't remind me. Where's Duo?"

"In the sitting room, asleep."

"He should be in bed, not on the couch," Heero frowned. "He could catch a cold."

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure he's plenty warm and very comfortable."

Heero grunted in question.

Trowa didn't reply but just pointed towards the hidden doorway. Heero glared at him again before crossing the threshold and stilling in surprise. Duo lay sprawled on the couch, his head resting on Sandrock's flank as Heavyarms stretched out across his torso. Both cats were purring contentedly, their purring intermixed with Duo's light snores.

"I didn't have the heart to wake them."

"You mean your cats."

"Who else?"

Heero just shook his head and proceeded down the hall. He returned a moment later and draped a blanked over Duo's supine form. Heavyarms crawled out from under the blanket and shot Heero a dirty look before curling up once more on Duo's torso.

"You're not making any friends by doing that," Trowa laughed quietly.

"Those cats of yours merely regard me as a food source."

"Hmm…" Trowa hummed as he followed the blue-eyed agent to the study. "Any developments?" he asked once they had closed the door behind them.

"The feeds weren't tampered with. It was an inside job."

"Someone on the Minister's personal staff? Or one of the civil servants assigned to work under her?"

"We don't have any suspects yet. Noin is trying to retrieve their old personnel records right now since the current ones housed at City Hall are currently inaccessible."

Trowa raised a brow. "Because of the murders this morning?"

Heero's lips thinned into a grim line. "No, another one. Leanne Veiga was killed three hours ago."

"Veiga? Who is… oh, the head of the records department. Didn't Wufei just talk to her this morning?"

Heero nodded tersely.

"But why would her death cause a delay in the retrieval of personnel records?"

"She ran some sort of encryption program right before she was killed."

"You think she was the mole?"

Heero shook his head. "No, it seems like she suspected that the records department would be hacked into and took it upon herself to protect the files. No doubt she died protecting the information since there's no indication that any of the files had been accessed."

"But how do we know that she suspected an attack?"

"Wufei received an email from her minutes before her estimated time of death."

"What did it say?"

Heero held out his comm unit to Trowa.

"_Noventa: Disclosure of Information & Privacy Act Clause_." Trowa read aloud and frowned. "She clearly didn't have much time to send this message. I wonder what she meant…"

"I don't know either but Chang seems to have an idea. He's busy trying to decrypt the files right now."

Trowa crossed his arms in thought. "The S.A.'s behind this, there's no doubt about it. But what are they after? It's far more than a cover-up operation but this wasn't in any of their plans… do you recognize anything?"

Heero shook his head, his gaze fixed beyond the closed door and into the sitting room where Duo slept peacefully with his feline companions.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Ok.. that took forever. I've recently realized that the middle section of this story is completely unworkable so I've been drastically restructuring this story. I've decided to cut out one of my planned sections and to speed up the timeline a bit. The story's still a mess though. *sigh* I inititally started this story with the intent to have hints peppered throughout that would turn into 'aha' moments when I made the big reveals. I'm still trying for that but it's proven challenging since I don't have as much time as I would like for writing and the big gaps between chapters is making me more prone to slip ups and plot holes. Anyways, enough of my whinning. <em>

_Thanks everyone for continuing to read! This story has been going on for almost two years now... wow. I realize that's an agonizingly long time but I really appreciate your feedback and patience! _

_Anyways I hope everyone had a wonderful holidays and see you in the next chapter! (Oh, and there's gonna be a big event coming up soon where Duo's gets to jump back into the action :D) _

_Final note, sorry for more typos grammar mistakes than usual.. it's 1am and I just wanted this done with and out of the way so I can return to RL. _


	24. Episode Twenty-Three: Distractions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Twenty-Three: Unwelcome Distractions <em>_(January 14, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Duo huffed and wheezed as he walked against the current in the individual sized pool. After he'd woken up in bed, unsure of how he'd gotten there, 'Leo' had informed him that breakfast was being served in the kitchenette. Trowa had been sitting quietly at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of oatmeal while watching the morning newsfeeds.<p>

"Morning," he greeted, his eyes still fixed on the morning news as he pushed another bowl of oatmeal and fruit towards him.

"Where's Heero?"

"You just missed him. He left a few minutes ago."

"Oh. Has he gone back to look after the peace dove?" He couldn't help the discontent that crept into his voice

"Dove?" Trowa's mouth quirked up slightly. "No. He's just running some errands."

The conversation had petered out after that. As soon as he'd finished eating, he'd been instructed to spend his daily 30 minutes on his medi-mat. Still feeling distrustful, albeit less hostile, in Trowa's company, Duo had chosen to barricade himself in the guest-room while he lay on the buzzing mat for his bone-fortifying treatment.

Trowa had appeared outside the door as soon as his treatment finished, asking if he felt up for some exercise. And now he found himself seconds away from finishing his exercise regimen in the pool. When he'd told Trowa that he wanted to up the intensity of his workout, the uni-banged man had merely shrugged, let him do as he pleased and stretched out languidly on one of the lounge chairs. He reminded Duo of a cat sunbathing. At least, he reminded Duo of the paintings of sunbathing cats that he'd seen in a cultural encyclopedia.

The pool beeped and the strong current dissolved. Wearily, Duo pulled himself out of the pool and squeezed the water from his braid.

"Done?" Trowa asked drowsily from his perch.

"Yeah… I'm just gonna soak for a bit," Duo replied as he eased himself into the warm pool snaking along the base of the windows.

"You're not going to use the pools?" Duo asked when he noticed that Trowa was situated on the lounge chair farthest from the pools.

"No," the tall man replied simply. "I'm not a fan of water."

"Self-centered prick," Duo grumbled, sinking into the warm water and fighting the urge to lose his eyes in bliss. Just because the taller man appeared unguarded, didn't mean that he could let down his guard.

After what seemed like an eternity of pleasurable silence, Trowa's comm unit beeped loudly, shaking both men from their reveries.

"It's Heero," Trowa informed after he had scanned the message. "He says he will be returning soon with lunch."

"Lunch sounds good," Duo replied as he hoisted himself out of the warm water, looking forward to the prospect of spending time with someone other than _Peirrot_. He wondered idly if the Preventers were leaving with him on purpose, to keep him unnerved.

Five minutes later, dry and clothed, he waited with Trowa for the elevator and blinked in surprise when the doors opened to reveal Wufei Chang carrying an open box lined with familiar looking pots.

"Hey! Those are from Heero's place!" he exclaimed without thinking.

"Good morning Maxwell. You are looking well," the Chinese man greeted. "And yes, these are from Yuy's apartment."

"Oh right, sorry. Morning Chang. You look… uh… good yourself," Duo replied, slightly flustered. "Why do you have Heero's stuff?"

"Have you not told him?" Wufei Chang raised an inquiring brow at his colleague.

"No."

"Ah. It is a surprise then."

"Surprise?" Duo asked curiously. "What surprise?" he looked back and forth between the two men but both remained resolutely tight lipped.

Duo's confusion deepened when the elevator stopped several floors below the penthouse and the doors opened to reveal a hallway that ran perpendicular to the elevator. At each end of the hallway was a formidable looking steel door.

"What the?" Duo wondered as the two men exited left and Trowa opened the door by pressing his hand on the bio scanner next to the lock. The door unlocked with a large click and swung open to reveal a spacious apartment filled with Arabian-style furnishings and decorations. Duo followed the two men into the apartment, taking in the open living room with attached dining room and kitchen and became even more confused when he spotted a familiar looking locked trunk and a crate of apples sitting on the kitchen counter.

"I don't get it… why are we here?" he asked as he observed the Chinese agent step further into the apartment and enter a small glass atrium with wall to floor windows. Balancing the box on one hand, Wufei carefully arranged the pots on a table next to one of the windows.

"This is Heero's new apartment, yours as well." Trowa informed him quietly from where he stood behind him.

"What?" Duo spun around. "Seriously?"

Immediately curious, he set about exploring the apartment. The apartment was completely furnished in deep reds and golds, many of the ornaments were desert themed. Altogether, Duo felt like he had walked into a cultural museum. He did a lap of the living room, dining room and kitchen, poked his head into the atrium before investigating the two closed doors on either side located at the two far ends of the apartment. The first door revealed what appeared to be a child's room and the second opened to reveal the master bedroom.

He re-entered the main apartment to see Trowa and Wufei seated on one of the red and gold brocade couches, varying degrees of amusement written on both their faces.

"As great as this place is an' all," Duo tugged at his still damp braid, "Doesn't someone live here already? I mean… it sure as hell looks like it…"

"This was Abdul's family home," Trowa replied.

"Abdul?"

"A trusted member of Quatre's Magnac company," Wufei clarified. "Since he now has a small child, he has decided that he would like to relocate to L4 where the situation is more stable at the moment. It was a very fortunate as you and Heero required new accommodations and suitable accommodations are in very short supply right now. As your need for new accommodations was incredibly urgent, Abdul generously left most of the furnishings for your use. You can replace them later at your own convenience."

"Well, I gotta say, for a prison, this ain't bad…"

"This is not meant to be a prison Maxwell," Wufei tried to placate by Duo waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah right. You sayin' I'm gonna be able to come and go as I please? I've seen the security setup in this building. It doesn't just excel at keeping people out, it's been modified to keep me _in_."

"We don't deny it," Trowa shot back smoothly.

"Barton!" Wufei stiffened in his seat and shot his colleague a venomous glare. "What has gotten into you?" he demanded angrily before adding in a lower voice: "Your cavalier attitude is worse than usual."

Trowa Barton merely shrugged.

Fortunately, the tense atmosphere was interrupted when the front door unlocked with a click and Heero stepped into the apartment.

"Welcome back Yuy. We have just informed Maxwell that you two will be residing here from now on."

Heero nodded mutely and closed the door behind him. Duo cocked his head to the side quizzically when he noticed that Heero didn't appear to have any lunch with him. After his long workout earlier, Duo was beginning to feel the early rumblings of hunger. He blinked when he thought he saw Heero's jacket, or more specifically, something inside his jacket, move. The jacket wriggled again and this time was certain that there was something in his jacket, and that it was alive.

"I…" Heero began almost uncertainly, "I brought you something." He began to unzip his black jacket and a white furry head popped out, nose twitching and black beady eye's meeting Duo's.

Catching sight of the small furry face, Duo felt his heart melt. Instinctively, he reached for the small creature, smiling when it squirmed in his grasp. And then, struck by a sudden thought, he felt his stomach drop.

"This… isn't lunch is it?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

"Maxwell," Wufei was the first to breach the stunned stupor that had fallen over the four men, "I understand you might have had an… _unconventional_ diet brought about unfortunate circumstances, but that animal is to be your pet, not your lunch."

"Thank God!" Duo let out a large sigh of relief. "But where's lunch? I thought Heero was supposed to be bringing lunch?"

Heero swore inarticulately and stomped out of the apartment.

"I'll go with him," Trowa said before following him out the door.

"Uh… did I say something wrong? That bastard said Heero was bringing lunch."

"He had indicated that he was. He must have been distracted by the ferret," Wufei pointedly ignored Duo addressing Trowa as a 'bastard'.

"So this lil' guy is a ferret? It is a he right?" Duo flipped the small mammal over to check.

"Yes, he's a dark-eyed white ferret. Howard led us to believe that they are quite rare…"

"…the fuck? What's wrong with his hind leg? It's all deformed!" Duo held up the ferret to display a visibly smaller left hindquarter and deformed foot.

"Well yes, he is the runt of the litter and such, suffered some abnormalities, but-"

"Heero got him from Howard?" Duo interrupted.

"Yes. We thought-" Wufei tried to explain but was cut off again by an irate Duo.

"You thought, hey! The UNDIS isn't perfect like us so we got him a deformed pet! Is that what you were thinking? Or that no one wanted him, so you shoved him off on me?"

"Maxw-"

"He's not useful, just like me right! Just lump the rejects together! Look at him! He's all banged up too!" Duo shoved the ferret into other man's face and pointed at scabbed over bite marks and scratches that peppered the small mammal's body.

"Shut up Maxwell and let me speak!" Wufei cut in sharply before sighing heavily, struggling to muster up the last dregs of his patience. "Heero wanted to get you a pet and approached Howard about it. It just so happened that one of Howard's prized work animals had had a litter of pups recently. Unfortunately, the animal in your hands suffers from some… abnormalities and had to be separated from the other kits for his own safety. From what I understand, Howard was very adamant in finding a good home for him."

"Good home huh? Hang on a sec… worker animals? So that's how he does it!" he exclaimed.

"Does what?" Wufei asked, confused by Duo's sudden change in demeanor.

"The wiring! He.. oooh!" he laughed when the ferret squirmed out of his grip and scampered up his arm and wriggled into his shirt. "So he's mine now?"

"Yes," Wufei nodded patiently. "Howard believes that with the right training, he will still make a fine work animal."

"That crazy ole' goat!" Duo grinned as he pulled the ferret out of his shirt. "That's his plan eh?"

"Plan? Never mind. What are you going to name that animal?" Wufei had given up trying to follow Duo's train of thought and contented himself with the fact that he had calmed down.

"Name huh?" He held up the white-furred ferret and scrutinized it for several moments. The ferret stared back, before squirming and contorting in an effort to nip at his hands. "Ha! Gutsy! Ya got picked on, didn't ya boy? An' I bet you fought back and get 'em as good as you got! Scraps it is then!"

"Scraps?" Wufei raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yep. Short for 'Scrapper'."

* * *

><p>"It isn't like you to be forgetful."<p>

"I wasn't forgetful, the ferret was distracting me," Heero shot back at his tall friend. "It kept squirming and wouldn't stay still! Fish would have been easier…"

"So distracting that you forgot his supplies?"

"Duo's supplies?"

"No," A ghost of a smirk danced on Trowa's lips as he clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You've fallen and you've fallen hard."

"Get to the point Trowa," Heero growled as they crossed the street and entered a small marketplace.

"I was talking about the ferret's supplies."

Heero swore again, and turned to head in the opposite direction but was stopped by Trowa.

"I'll go pick up the ferret's supplies, you go get lunch. I'll meet you back here in fifteen."

"Roger," Heero replied automatically as he headed for a nearby deli. He kept his head down and avoided eye contact, hoping no one would recognize him. Ever since the Celebration of Peace, he had lost his anonymity and found that he couldn't move as freely as he used to. Thankfully, most people who saw him assumed that he just looked like the former member of the Gundum Ten. After all, a war hero who supposedly guarded the Supreme Minister night and day wouldn't be doing something as mundane as ordering lunch for four at the neighbourhood deli.

He was out of the store in ten minutes with two large bags filled with takeout containers. He headed towards the car when a familiar aroma stopped him in his tracks. After a moment's consideration, he marched with purpose into Geli's bakery and joined the considerably long line of customers.

Five minutes after the designated meeting time, Heero finally arrived with his bags of takeout and a fragrant smelling box from the bakery.

"Apple pie?" Trowa commented from where he leaned against the side of his car. "What happened to the frugal Heero Yuy who refused to turn on the heat in his apartment because it was an unnecessary luxury?"

"Quatre said I should try to gain his trust through small gestures," Heero repeated as though he were reciting a mission statement.

"Or you're just trying to recreate that moment from yesterday when he was literally eating out of your hand," Trowa commented idly as he slid into driver's seat.

Heero glared at his friend while carefully stacking his purchases on his lap.

"Duo seems to know your preference for apples. Have you told him why you like apples so much?" Trowa turned the ignition and shifted the car into gear.

"Yes."

"And?" The green-eyed man raised a brow.

"Nothing. I don't want to talk about it." To avoid discussing the topic any further, Heero glanced back at the backseat and noted various items including a cage, small pet-carrier, leash, toys and bags of food. "That animal is going to need that much stuff?"

"He is. I imagine that the ferret is going to take up most of Duo's attention… and affection."

"What has gotten into you?" Heero growled. "You've been antagonistic lately. You've been constantly baiting Duo too."

Trowa stiffened imperceptibly before relaxing into his usual stance. "Maybe I've found a new hobby…"

* * *

><p>"Did you know about the attack Dorothy?" Duke Dermail sat in a tall, wooden straight-back chair with velvet cushions. He was dressed in his military uniform, complete with three rows of polished medals on either side of his lapels.<p>

"Yes, Grandpapa."

"Why didn't you tell me Dorothy?" His knuckles turned white as he clenched the arms of his chair.

"Midek instructed me not to. You are losing favour with him Grandpapa."

"You should have told me Dorothy! Your loyalty lies with me! I am your family! Your only family! I raised you, I gave you everything, I created you! Don't you dare forget that!"

"I am sorry Grandpapa," Dorothy lowered her head contritely but behind her back, her hands were clutched together convulsively.

The old man didn't respond, but sat pensively in his seat, refusing to look at his granddaughter.

"Wait!" he called when Dorothy moved to leave the room. "What of your mission? How is it progressing?" he asked, still refusing to look at the platinum-haired woman.

"Heero Yuy is continuing to prove stubborn. For some reason, he seems very resistant to the idea of a union with the Minister. I do believe, however, that I am close to discovering what that reason is."

"I am glad to hear that Dorothy." The old man paused for several long moments, as though considering, before speaking once more. "I know you must feel that this task is a waste of your talents my dear child, but although it may feel insignificant now, this task is of ultimate importance. I have taken great pains to have power centralized in that girl's hands. A girl in love is a girl easily manipulated. And once we succeed in bringing Heero Yuy to our side, the Gundam Ten will follow. With the girl and what remains of those eyesores all in a row, they can all be toppled at once, leaving a power vacuum that will need to be filled. And that is when you will rise to glory my dear."

"Yes Grandpapa. I understand and I will do my best."

"Good girl. I look forward to hearing the progress of your mission."

"Yes Grandpapa." Dorothy curtsied shallowly before leaving the room and shutting the heavy wooden door behind her.

"That doddering old man! There is no thrill to be gleaned from unsophisticated matching making. No, the real thrill is to be found in battle!" Dorothy muttered to herself as she walked away from the study. "He wants to bring our enemies to their knees? Very well, I know a much better way to bring them to their knees."

* * *

><p>Heero and Trowa exited the elevator to the faint sounds of pealing laughter that grew louder as they approached Heero's new apartment. They carefully pushed open the door and entered the apartment, only to stop in shock at the sight that greeted them.<p>

Duo was on the thickly carpeted flooring, hands clutching his sides, rolling back and forth with laughter.

Wufei was several steps away, hopping and clutching at his thigh, his face white.

"Quick! Do something about this animal or I swear, I will not be held responsible for the consequences!" Wufei roared at his two colleagues.

Both men blinked dumbly, unsure of what was going on until Duo sought fit to inform them.

"Scraps went after the family jewels!" He gasped between giggles. "Wufei said we should 'acclimate' him to his new home, so I put him down and he went straight for the pant leg!" Duo dissolved into louder giggles, his body rocking back and forth with the force of his laughter.

"Scraps?" Both men asked in unison, wide-eyed.

"Stop staring and help me!" Wufei snarled.

With unhurried motions, Trowa pulled open the delivery box located in the entrance of the apartment and pulled out the ferret's supplies he had picked up earlier. Carefully sorting through the mound of supplies, he located a small bag of treats. Kneeling next to his agitated colleague, he shook the bag of treats. Seconds later, a small furry head emerged from Wufei's pant leg and Trowa quickly grabbed hold of the curious animal.

"Thank the Gods!" Wufei breathed a sigh of relief. "Maxwell, you had better train that animal of yours well. Next time I will not be so forgiving."

"Aww, come on, he's just a baby!" Duo shot back, finally recovering from his giggling fit.

"He was just acting on instinct," Trowa remarked. "Ferrets like to climb through narrow spaces." He flinched in shock when Scraps wriggled in his grasp and sunk his teeth into the flesh between his thumb and forefinger.

That set Duo into another fit of laughter. "He's got good instincts alright!"

"Is it rabid?" Heero asked with concern and suspicion.

"No," Trowa replied, holding the ferret towards Duo by the scruff of its neck. "He probably smelled the cat on me."

"Such a good boy, aren't ya Scraps!" Duo praised as he accepted the ferret. Heero hovered next to him, ready to snatch the animal away at a moment's notice but relaxed when the ferret snuggled into the crook of Duo's arm, calm and content.

"Hey, you smell good!" Duo commented, seeming to realize Heero's presence for the first time. "Were you at the bakery?"

Heero nodded. "I picked up an apple pie. We can have it after lunch."

"Great!" Duo grinned. "'Cause I'm starvin'!"

* * *

><p>"Why isn't Heero here?" Relena asked plaintively when she exited her study after a meeting with several lower-level senators.<p>

"He has taken a day off to deal with some personal issues," Noin responded wearily as she fell into step behind the Minister.

"But…" Relena began to protest.

"All the agents here are more than qualified to meet your security needs," Noin explained as patiently as she could.

"But-" Relena tried to protest again.

"_Relena_," Noin emphasized the girl's first name. "Can I speak to you for a moment not as your guard but as your sister?"

Relena nodded, brushing back a lock of her blonde hair.

Noin took a deep breath, choosing her words before speaking. "I understand you were worried about Heero and you wanted to see him. But going to City Hall to learn Heero's address and then dropping by unannounced exposed Heero to security risks."

"I didn't-"

"I know Relena, you only wanted to see him. But Heero is a very private person. He has lived his entire life in anonymity. Being thrust into the spotlight has been hard on him. He has had a hard time adjusting and needs his privacy."

"His privacy would be protected here," Relena tried to argue.

"It's not only his privacy Relena. By becoming the face of the Gundam Ten, he's made himself a target. He may be a formidable soldier, but every soldier needs a place of refuge. For Heero, that was his apartment. We've done our best to protect you Relena, but you're also a very visible figure and a target. We can't guarantee that no one followed you to Heero's apartment, especially since you left your guards behind."

Relena's posture slumped slightly, but she remained stubborn. "I know I acted recklessly, but isn't this even more reason for Heero to stay with me? The Peacecraft Mansion and my office are far more private and secure then that low-rent apartment complex he's living in!"

Noin had to stop herself from automatically replying that it _was_ the apartment Heero _had_ been living in. Instead, she tried a different tactic.

"I know you've grown attached to Heero, but… maybe you're confused as to what your feelings for him really are."

"What do you mean? I'm not confused, I love him!" Relena proclaimed, hand on breast.

"You met during the Rebellion. You were young and impressionable; Heero saved your life numerous times. You may be mistaking those feelings of admiration and gratitude for love. People naturally gravitate towards each other during trying times, but those bonds usually disappear once the hardship is gone. You find out that other than your circumstances, you never really had anything in common."

"Is that what happened between you and my brother? Don't condemn my feelings as fake just because my brother left you," Relena retorted with malice, clearly upset by Noin's comments.

Noin had to fight down an anguished gasp. "No! He had to leave, he-"

"He abandoned you! He abandoned _me_!"

"No" Noin shook her head vehemently. "He will return."

"When?" Relena asked, arms crossed as she bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't know…" Noin answered helplessly.

"You should never have let him go."

Noin bowed her head, unable to respond.

"If I don't keep Heero close, he'll leave just like my brother did. And I'll be all alone again."

"That's not true! Who told you that?" Noin protested. "You have your parents and-"

"They're not my real parents," Relena cut in sharply.

"They are. And they love you very much. You have _me _too_. _We're family."

"Family shouldn't decide who I can or can't love," Relena raised her chin, her eyes defiant.

"I would never-" Noin tried to reply but was interrupted when one of Relena's aides came rushing down the hall towards them.

"Minister! Commander Noin! A group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Sanq Imperial Complex."

"Which group? Are they extremists?" Noin asked in alarm.

"I… I'm not quite sure…" the aide stuttered as she led them down the hall towards the media room, "we've never heard of them before, but they claim to be UNDIS."

Lucrezia Noin reeled as though struck. "UNDIS?" she gasped. "That can't be possible! They were eradicated by the S.A.!"

"I don't know… but they're calling themselves UNDIS: 'The Unrequited & Disenfranchised'." The aide pushed open the doors to the media room to reveal a room full of frazzled members of staff, many running around in panicked circles as they tried to deal with the onslaught of inquiries from the media, government offices and the public.

"What is going on?" Relena cried when she saw the video feeds. The videos were dark, brutal and jolting.

"Several of the media outlets are streaming the extremist group's manifesto," Helena appeared at Noin's side just as Relena was ushered away by several of her ashen faced staff members. "I'm so sorry Commander! We didn't even know what was happening until the manifesto started running on all the news feeds!"

"The media outlets were contacted directly by the group calling themselves UNDIS?" Noin asked her assistant, jaw clenched.

"Yes Commander."

"Was the Organization contacted at all?"

The young woman shook her head. "No, they only made their proclamation to the media."

"And none of the outlets thought to call us?"

"Some did…" Helena began hesitantly, "but only after they had begun airing the manifesto."

"Give the order to shut them down!" Noin snapped irritably. "What?" she asked when her faithful assistant hesitated.

"With all due respect Commander, we already enforced a partial media blackout last night, if we enforce another blackout, I fear there might not only be backlash from the media, but also the public. The media is already claiming that we are interfering with the freedom of the press…"

"Your assistant is right," Dorothy commented, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "It wouldn't do for the Preventers to lose the confidence of the public mere weeks after its inception."

Noin's assistant blanched at the sight of Dorothy, mortified that she had supplied Dorothy Catalonia, of all people, with ammunition against her superior.

"Yes of course," Noin replied through gritted teeth. "Helena," she pulled her assistant to the side, "arrange a meeting with the heads of all the media networks. Tell them I'd like to make a statement in private. Also, has one of the intelligence units been mobilized?"

"Yes Commander, they Team R is currently working to gather all information on this group. The Red Dragon has also been contacted."

"Good. Tell them to mobilize our regular channels of information, I'll contact the Dragon shortly," Noin kept her orders as ambiguous as possible, mindful of the fact that Dorothy wasn't even hiding the fact that she was eavesdropping on their private conversation.

"Anything else Commander?"

"Watch your back. I'll see you back at headquarters."

"You're adjusting to your new position as leader quite well," Dorothy commented as she watched the petite brunette leave, her tone implying she meant the opposite.

"As are you," Noin shot back sharply.

"Oh my Commander, did I rub you the wrong way perhaps?" Dorothy smiled widely, revealing her teeth.

"Let's cut the crap. I know you and your grandfather are behind this."

"Goodness Commander, that is quite the bold statement. Am I under arrest? Oh, but you don't have any proof, do you?"

"You tried to gain access to confidential records at City Hall a few days ago. And the fact that Justice Noventa and Leanne Veiga, the head of the records department, were killed the day after your visit is no coincidence. You're playing a dangerous game, it's only a matter of time before I find evidence linking you to their deaths."

"Yes yes, you've had Grandpapa under surveillance for quite some time now, haven't you? And I presume at least one of these aides," she gestured to the frazzled members of Relena's staff, "is one of your plants, here to keep an eye on me?"

Noin merely smiled in response.

"Well," Dorothy titled her head to the side, her gaze fixed sharply on Noin's features. "Since you've so considerate as to reveal your cards, I'll reveal one of mine. Heero Yuy was right to suspect that at least one UNDIS had survived, wasn't he?"

Noin didn't even flinch.

"Oh, you _are_ good!" Dorothy exclaimed happily. "Perhaps you would care join Grandpapa and I for a game of cards sometime? Ah, but not for a while yet. I predict that you will be rather distracted for the next while. Good day Lucrezia." Dorothy saluted mockingly before going to join the throng of people surrounding the Supreme Minister.

* * *

><p>Heero sat at the dining room table, morosely eating the last bites of his apple pie and watching as Duo sat on the couch, completely absorbed in his tablet, small furry ferret asleep on his shoulder. Duo had practically inhaled his lunch and swallowed his slice of pie whole. And as soon as he had finished his meal, Duo had immediately focused all his attention on his new pet. Like a curious child, Duo had picked through all of the supplies Trowa had brought up through the apartment's delivery system. Finished sorting, he had stashed the supplies away in the room he had claimed as his own and had attached a harness and leash to the small animal, much to Wufei's relief.<p>

"What are you scowling at Yuy?" Wufei asked his friend as he cleared the table.

"He's completely focused on that animal."

Wufei unsuccessfully fought down a grin. "Do not tell me you are jealous of 'Scraps'".

Heero glared.

"Calm down Yuy. It is a good thing that Duo and that animal have taken to each other. It will give him something to focus on. And do not forget, _you_ are the one who gave him his new… friend," Wufei smiled before adding with a grimace. "Although I would recommend tucking your pants into your boots for the next while until Maxwell has instilled some discipline in that animal…"

"I still think fish would have been better," Heero continued to remain obstinate.

"Stop acting like a petulant child Yuy," Wufei rolled his eyes. "If you want to get closer to Maxwell, I suggest you get along with his new pet. And nothing is stopping you from getting your own fish as pets. Although I would suggest that you wait until things have settled down and you find a permanent place of residence."

Heero opened his mouth to reply but was sidetracked when the apartment door opened and Trowa entered with several packed duffle bags.

"Here are the last of your things," he stated, dropping the bags at Heero's feet. "All of Duo's belongings are in there too."

"Thanks," Heero bent to pick up the bags when Wufei's comm unit began to beep loudly. Both Trowa and Heero looked at him in alarm, having recognized the specific ringtone. Just as Trowa and Heero were about to ask what was wrong, their comm units began to beep urgently as well.

"Damn," Wufei cursed under his breath before looking up in horror. "Maxwell!" he called but it was too late. Duo sat eerily still, his eyes transfixed to his tablet.

"What the fuck is this?" he demanded lowly, "_The Unrequited & Disenfranchised_? An UNDIS group claimed responsibility for the attack? UNDIS? Everyone else is dead!"

"I need to leave immediately," Wufei told his two colleagues, slipping into his shoes. "Nataku needs to be calibrated to find information on this supposed group."

Trowa nodded. "We'll probably join you soon."

Wufei met Trowa's eyes before deliberately allowing his gaze to slide towards Duo. Trowa nodded again and Wufei beat a hasty exit.

Heero angrily shoved his comm unit into his pocket and approached Duo. "We know it was the Bionics, and that they are Advantaged, not UNDIS. No doubt it is the S.A. who are-"

"No shit!" Duo yelled, jumping up from the couch. His loud voice and sudden movements spooked Scraps who squeaked in alarm and leapt from Duo's shoulder and onto Heero's shoulder.

"We always made the best scapegoats didn't we? And it doesn't matter that we're all dead, we still make great bogeymen don't we?" Duo snarled.

"We'll find who's really responsible," Heero spoke quietly, wincing when Scraps began chattering right next to his ear, clearly displeased with the situation.

Duo shrugged, deflated. "What's the point? It doesn't matter anymore," he spat bitterly.

"Heero," Trowa called from behind them, hand on door. "We need to leave too."

"Heero," Trowa called again when Heero hesitated.

"Go," Duo waved him away. "I promise not to leave blah, blah. Just go!"

"You're coming with us," Trowa stated simply as he approached the two men.

"I am?"

"He is?" both men asked in unison.

"Yes," Trowa replied as he plucked Scraps from Heero's shoulder and dumped the ferret into Duo's arms.

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it!" Sally exclaimed lowly, her fork paused halfway to her mouth as she stared, wide-eyed, at television screen.<p>

"Oh, how horrible!" Iria cried softly from across the café table. "But I thought they had all been killed? Oh but didn't Heero find evidence of-"

"You were mistaken," Sally cut her off abruptly but not unkindly.

"Oh… but I thought…"

"No. We have confirmed that all UNDIS are now deceased. Of course, this conversation needs to be kept strictly between us…"

"Yes, yes, of course…" Iria replied falteringly.

"I'm sorry Iria, I'm going to have to cut our lunch short. No doubt they'll need me at the office." Sally motioned to one of the servers as she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.

"Yes of course," Iria repeated again. "But please tell me this. Does this new attack mean that the… the _team_ will be active in the field again?"

Sally stiffened before sighing deeply. "I hope not Iria, but it's inevitable that the team will be dragged back in sooner or later. But with the team's numbers cut nearly in half, things don't bode well for us; especially considering what we're up against."

"Considering what you're up against?" Iria asked with alarm.

Sally laughed humourlessly. "I always forget how you pick up on every little slip of the tongue."

"Hazard of the job, I am a psychologist after all," Iria replied with a wan smile before her features sobered once more. "What exactly is it that my brother will be facing."

"You know I can't tell you Iria. Please forget I ever said anything." Sally stood, shouldering her bag and glancing around again for the server.

"Of course," Iria replied for the third time, her eyes distant. "The less I know, the better. Don't worry about the bill, I'll get it," Iria waved Sally away absently.

"Thanks. Next one's on me." Sally opened her mouth to say more but reconsidered. Instead, she smiled tightly at her friend and quickly left the small café.

After paying the bill, Iria sat alone for a few more minutes, quietly sipping on her tea, lost in thought. Looking out the window, she saw familiar figure cross the street. Iria jumped from her seat and hurried outside.

"Cathy!" she called after the retreating figure. "Cathy!"

The brunette woman stopped, her curls brushing her shoulders as she turned. "Oh Iria, it's you."

"Oh it's you?" Iria parroted back in anguish. "You haven't come home for three days and that's all you have to say?"

"I've been busy with my research."

"You could have called!"

"You know how I get when I get absorbed in my work…" Catherine tried to sidestepped the issue.

"You've been disappearing into your research a lot lately," The blonde woman accused her partner.

"There are been several developments…" Catherine responded vaguely.

"And the less I know, the safer I am…" Iria clutched her handbag to her stomach. "I've been hearing that a lot lately…"

The tall brunette woman reached forward and gently brushed the blonde woman's cheek. "I'll call you later. In the meantime, maybe you should join your brother on L4."

"What do you mean? And Quatre should already be on his way back."

"Oh he is?" Catherine asked with a strange light in her eyes. "That' unfortunate."

"What?" Iria gasped?

"Oh no, you misunderstand dear. I'm just saying I feel better if you were both back on L4. It seems like many prominent individuals on L1 have become the targets of some fanatics."

"But I've given up all my controlling interests in WEI…"

"You know that doesn't matter."

Iria bit her lip. "Then let's both leave!"

"You know I can't leave my research."

"Can't or won't?" Iria shot back.

Catherine didn't respond. Instead she kissed her companion on the cheek. "Keep yourself hidden," she whispered into her ear before she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

><p>Noin dropped like a stone into her office chair.<p>

"You've heard?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes fixed on the wall but unfocused.

"Yes I have," Quatre responded from the screen on her desk.

Noin sighed heavily before speaking. "I lost my temper with the Catalonia girl today…"

Quatre's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?

"I told her that I knew she and her grandfather are behind all of this."

"Oh." The blonde man's mouth dropped to form a perfect 'O'.

Noin slumped in her chair. "I know… I blew our hand. And for the life of me, I still haven't been able to find a shred of proof against them…"

Quatre's brow furrowed in thought. "I might be able to help you there. I've found some very interesting patterns in the transactions run through Sedici Bank."

"You have?" Noin asked hopefully.

"Nothing definitive, but just a hunch. I'll need to take a small detour before returning to L1. Thankfully Howard has given me a cover story for sticking my nose in the Sedici bank's business."

"Does it have anything to do with Howard's ludicrous idea to buy L2?"

"It does."

Noin shook her head. "Don't tell me, the less I know, the better."

"So you can have deniability?" Quatre pretended to look hurt.

Noin chuckled bitterly. "It's because your tactical manipulations give me a headache." She swung her booted feet up onto her desk. "So how long do you need?"

"A few more days, a week at most."

"That long?"

"Do you need me on L1?"

"Not urgently," Noin bit her lip. "But I'd feel better if you were here. Honestly, I think you're the only one who has any chance of handling the Catalonia girl. If only I could find a way to separate her from Relena… Relena's changed so much since Dorothy became her aide. She's pulling away from her family, she thinks her brother abandoned her… she's even starting to turn against me. And she's so strangely fixated on Heero."

"Well it's only natural, he was the one who protected her during the war; saved her from countless assassination attempts. Besides, if I recall, you were actually in favour of Heero and Relena as a couple only a short while ago…"

"I know I was. Heero was Relena's first love. And Heero needed a stabilizing presence in his life."

"Using the past tense I see." Quatre remarked with a curious brow raised.

"Relena's admiration of Heero has turned into something of an obsession. She's so fixated on having him become her companion, it seems like it's all she cares about now…"

"Dorothy's influence no doubt."

"I just can't figure out what her end game is."

"It is puzzling." Quatre paused to take a sip of tea. "How did Dorothy react when you confronted her?"

"Strangely enough, she didn't even try to deny it. In fact, she seemed oddly pleased that I'd confronted her… like it was all some sort of game to her. In fact, she was practically taunting me…"

"That's strange," the blonde man remarked, placing his teacup back onto the matching saucer he held in his other hand. "It sounds like she's acting on her own."

"What do you mean?" Noin removed her feet from the desk and sat up straight, her interest piqued.

"The Duke is a cautious man. He's a master puppeteer, always pulling the strings from the shadows. And he's always so careful not to let any of those strings lead back to him… he's always the first to deny any type of involvement. And he'd definitely tell Dorothy not to engage you so openly."

"So you think Dorothy is rebelling against the Duke's control?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," Quatre replied. "Dorothy is a master manipulator herself. She wouldn't be satisfied being under her grandfather's thumb for long. This actually might work in our favour. Dorothy has always had a perverse sense of humour. If you indulge her in her little game, she might overplay her hand."

Noin groaned. "Oh joy. It's not like I don't already have a full plate. What with the Senate breathing down my neck, a pair of manic bionic assassins on the loose and let's not forget this new supposed 'UNDIS' faction."

"Has Duo been able to offer any insight?"

"I don't know. In fact, Trowa is bringing him to my office," Noin glanced at the time displayed in the lower right hand corner of her screen. "He should be here any minute now."

"You've never actually had a conversation with him before, have you?"

Noin shook her head.

"Just be truthful with him. And be careful of what you say, he'll fixate on certain words and phrases. He can be hostile and confrontational so try not to let him rattle you."

Noin scoffed. "Emphasis on the _try_ I see."

"He's distrustful of strangers and highly volatile. Not that I can blame him."

"I'll keep that in mind. But I have an agency to run and I'm responsible for the safety of my agents. I'm not one to use kid gloves."

Quatre smiled. "And that's exactly why you were chosen to head the Preventers Organization."

"Some days I really do wonder…" Noin sighed but was interrupted from saying more by the curt rapping at her door.

"I'll talk to you later Quatre. Keep me posted on your progress." Noin tapped her monitor and the screen turned dark. "Come in!" she called.

The door opened and Trowa gave Noin a small smirk and a wave before walking away, leaving a confused-looking Duo standing in the doorway.

"Take a seat," Noin gestured to the metal fold-out chair across from her.

Duo shifted his weight from one foot to the other and quickly scanned Noin's small and cramped office before carefully perching on the edge of the seat and placing a small bag at his feet.

"We've never been formally introduced," Noin began after a brief silence where the two quietly sized each other up. "My name is Lucrezia Noin and I'm-"

"The head of Preventers," Duo interrupted quickly, clearly uninterested in formal introductions. "And I'm guessin' a member of the Gundam Ten."

Noin quickly opened her mouth to deny the allegation but chose a different track at the last minute. "Former member. We disbanded at the end of the Rebellion."

"Coulda fooled me," Duo snorted, gesturing to the small office. "So what, the clandestine operations and secret base are what, a hobby?"

Noin scowled. "Look, I didn't call you here to beat around the bush. What do you know about the 'Unrequited and Disenfranchised'?"

"The fuck?" Duo sprang out of his chair. "We're all dead, or did you forget?" he spat.

Noin held up her hand, cutting off Duo's angry tirade. "Look, I know that the S.A. and the bionics are the real perpetrators. What I want to know is does the name 'Unrequited and Disenfranchised' mean anything to you?"

"Why? Should it?"

A vein began to throb in Noin's temple but her tone remained even. "The S.A. have been known to pervert the ideology of others to suit their own ends."

"What are you getting at?"

Noin sighed, quickly losing her paper-thin control of her temper. "Was there ever an UNDIS organization that called them the "Unrequited and Disenfranchised?'"

"Why does it even matter now?" Duo shot back.

"Because," Noin gritted through her teeth, "if the S.A. ever crossed paths with a group called the 'Unrequited and Disenfranchised', it might lead to clues about the real masterminds behind the S.A. and the bionics."

"Dunno. Never heard of 'em." Duo admitted at last. Pulling a well-worn device from his pocket, he gave it a few shakes. "I will tell ya this though. No self-respectin' UNDIS would call themselves anything other than 'Unauthorized and Disadvantaged'."

"And why is that?" Noin prompted when the braided man fell silent, eyes fixed on the device.

Duo held out his device, two words displayed on its small screen.

_Unquestionably Dispensable._

"I don't understand." Noin furrowed her brown in confusion.

"We never forgot why we were called UNDIS. We were Unauthorized births, Disadvantaged individuals. It's how you Advantaged were able to justify pushing us out of society, making our _existence_ illegal. The Advantaged were the ones who forgot what UNDIS stood for, started calling us all sorts of things."

Duo shook his device again. "Ungrateful and Disobedient."

Another shake. "Undisciplined and Dishonest."

Duo continued to shake his device, reading aloud after each shake. "Unworthy and Diseased, Unsightly and Disfigured, Unholy and Disgraced. Un-"

"That's enough; you've more than made your point. So it's unlikely that there was ever a group called the 'Unrequited and Disenfranchised'."

Duo shrugged sullenly. "Too bad for you."

"Not necessarily," Noin replied, causing Duo to look up in surprise. "In fact, this might be good news for us. If this group never actually existed and is a creation of the S.A., they won't be able to push the blame off on someone else, it can only lead back to them." A wicked-looking smile spread across Noin's features. "I think they've just made their first careless mistake."

"Uh... ok…" Duo shifted warily in his seat, unnerved by the triumphant look on Noin's face.

"What's in the bag?" Noin suddenly changed the subject, her gaze fixed on the small duffel at Duo's feet. "It's been moving the whole time you've been in here."

"Oh," Duo lifted the bag onto his lap and carefully unzipped the top. A small furry head immediately poked out and he grabbed the ferret's leash before it could escape. "This is Scraps."

Noin wrinkled her nose. "One of Howard's ferrets? I should have known he'd give you one."

Duo carefully pushed the animal back into its carrier. "You're not takin' him away from me!" he said defensively.

"Oh trust me, I don't plan on going anywhere near that thing," Noin waved away his concern. "I assume you're going to train that animal to help you with your Sweepers work?"

"Huh?" Duo stared at him open-mouthed.

"Howard led me to believe that you would be working for him."

"He did? But he said you had to approve it…"

Noin leaned back in her chair and scrutinized Duo for a moment. "I have no objections. In fact, it's more convenient for us anyways. I can't afford to have either Heero, Trowa or Wufei constantly keeping an eye on you."

Duo blinked in shock.

"Of course I'll have to insist that you limit your movements to the commute between the WEI tower and the new Sweepers Offices here. And don't think I won't be monitoring your whereabouts," Noin continued, her eyes fixed on the golden watch affixed to his wrist.

"You still keepin' me prisoner?" Duo growled under his breath.

"Wouldn't you?" Noin replied coolly. "You tried and almost succeeded in blowing up an entire colony. Of course, I understand that some of motivations were noble but-"

"_Some_?" Duo snapped. "There were canisters of a deadly airborne virus that woulda wiped out an entire colony in days!"

"You could have destroyed the virus without blowing up the entire colony."

"What about the beam cannon they were aiming at L1?"

Noin cocked her head to the side. "Again, if you had the ability to re-program the laser to self-destruct, you had the ability to simply shut it down. I understand why you would want revenge Mr. Maxwell," Noin addressed him by name for the first time, "but you can understand why giving a man motivated by revenge free reign in the center of L1 would be reckless of me. Not to mention I am now responsible for your safety. The last thing I want is for your UNDIS status to be revealed. I would hate to think of how the S.A. would distort your existence to their favour."

Duo scowled at her. "Why don't ya just lock me up then?"

"Oh believe me, you don't know how tempting that is. But as I've been reminded many times, that's hardly fair. Do keep in mind though, you're not the only one who has to live in the shadows."

Duo fell silent at Noin's last remark.

"That's not to say that your restrictions might be lessened in the future," Noin brushed back her bangs, "but I don't like to make promises I can't keep."

Duo nodded at her words, a grudging admiration entering his eyes. "I can live with that… for now."

"Good. We are in agreement then." Noin stood up and extended her hand.

After a moment, Duo stood and accepted Noin's hand.

"For now," Duo agreed.

* * *

><p><em>AN: And... it's ba~ck! My beloved (and hated) behemoth is back from hiatus. I had wanted to get this back on track sooner but there's never enough time. And yes, I know I was working on other projects, they were more distractions. This story is one I the most time and effort too. Plus I've been busy working out the kinks and trying to escape the corner I've backed myself into. <em>

_Anyways, thanks for not abandoning your interest in this story. I'll try and keep semi-regular updates as RL allows. I had toyed with the idea of wrapping this story up before it turns three years old but no.. I've deemed it impossible. Afterall, each chapter takes at least 20+ hours. _

_~Maririn _


	25. Episode Twenty-Four: LadyColonel

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Twenty-Four: The Lady and the Colonel <em>_(January 23, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Heero sat in the kitchen of his new apartment, finishing the last bites of his breakfast. It had been a little over a week since he'd moved into his new apartment and he'd finally settled into something of a routine. Every morning he left for work with Duo and dropped him off at the new Sweeper's headquarters before joining Wufei and Trowa at the Preventer's secret base or fulfilling his role as Relena's bodyguard. Somehow, Noin had convinced Relena that he only needed to accompany her to public meetings and that his skills were best utilized for tracking down this newly discovered terrorist cell. And oddly enough, ever since Noin had confronted her, Dorothy had been oddly cooperative, barely putting up a fuss when Noin had publicly announced Heero as the new head of the Investigations Unit. This new-found freedom allowed him to pick-up Duo most evenings after he finished work and they returned to his new apartment for dinner.<p>

Heero swiveled in his chair to glance at the closed door of Duo's bedroom. Shortly after moving in, Duo had claimed the former nursery as his own. Heero had insisted that he could have the master bedroom, but Duo had flatly refused, stating that he preferred the 'feel' of the child's room. Heero had since ordered a new bed and had it ensconced in Duo's room but the braided man had insisted on keeping the child-like décor. After confirming that Abdul's family didn't need the crib, he had converted it into a nest-like structure for his new pet.

Thinking of Duo's new pet, Heero frowned. Because of its misshapen hind foot, Heero had expected the animal to be uneven and slow in its gait. What he hadn't expected was the speed with which the ferret zipped in and out of nooks and crannies, barely affected by its handicap. If anything, the animal had gotten faster, especially after Duo had taught it how to climb virtually any surface. Duo was devoted to the ferret, so much so that he'd collected bits and pieces plastic pipe and had constructed a training course for his new pet in one of the Sweeper's workshops. He would spend hours each day coaxing the ferret in and out of the pipe maze, lavishing the ferret with treats and affection when it successfully completed the maze.

Much to Heero's chagrin, the ferret had become just as attached to Duo. The ferret would habitually ride on Duo's shoulder as they drove to and from work and was rarely far from the braided man. It tolerated Heero at best, would try and bite Trowa at every opportunity and Wufei refused to be anywhere near it.

Eating his final bite of oatmeal and apples, Heero wondered what was keeping his braided companion. Usually Duo was out and readying himself for work by now. Heero knew he was up, he could hear him moving about in his room. Shrugging, he quietly picked the seeds out of his apple and carefully placed them in his wooden box before placing his empty bowl in the cleaning unit. Turning back towards the closed door, Heero watched it for several moments, wondering once again what Duo was up to. His confusion deepened when his comm unit beeped, a message from Duo flashing on the screen.

_Come to my room quick! And be quiet!_

Alarmed, Heero hastened to Duo's door and carefully pushed it open, his hand twitching towards his waistband where he kept his hidden gun. His hand stopped midway as he stood in the open doorway, more confused than ever. Duo stood just a few steps inside the room, swaying back and forth to an unknown beat, his braid swinging with the uneven rhythm. And right across from Duo was Scraps, doing an odd hoping motion with his back high and arched, jumping back and forth with the odd somersault thrown in between hops.

"Is it defective?" Heero felt compelled to ask.

"Shhh!" Duo chastised him in a whisper. He took several steps back until he stood next to Heero, still swaying to the same uneven rhythm.

"What is it doing?" Heero whispered when Duo didn't say anymore.

"_He_, not 'it'," Duo corrected him. "And according to the care guide Howie gave me, he's doin' a war dance!"

Heero raised a skeptical eyebrow but continued to watch the small animal do alternating hops, skips and flips interspersed with random clicks and squeaks. "I don't see any enemies," he muttered under his breath.

Duo ignored his comment and continued to sway back and forth, in time with his pet's antics.

After several minutes the ferret finally seemed to tire of his crazy hops and flopped down on his belly.

"Aren't you a good boy!" Duo crowed as he picked up his pet and rubbed its soft fur against his cheek. "Yer growin' up so fast! Howie's gonna be thrilled to hear ya did your first war dance!"

"We should leave soon," Heero announced bluntly.

"Ok, just give me a sec, just let me grab my stuff." Duo plopped the ferret into its 'crib' and set about getting ready for work.

"What about breakfast?"

Duo waved him away absent-mindedly, busy packing various gadgets into his bag. "I'll just grab something in the break room, they usually have some sorta spread there."

Heero didn't respond but quietly padded back into the kitchen and picked up the second bowl of apples and oatmeal he had carefully prepared for his companion. Just as he was about to cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap, Scraps suddenly appeared on the countertop by his elbow. Quashing his instinct to reach of his gun, Heero locked eyes with the animal as it slowly inched towards the bowl.

"Hungry?" Heero asked gruffly, wondering why he was talking to an animal. He selected a small slice of apple from the bowl and offered it to the animal. The ferret stood up on its hind legs and snatched the fruit from Heero's grasp, only to overbalance when its weak hind leg buckled. Heero quickly grabbed the ferret before it could topple over. Not wanting the animal on the countertop, but also not wanting it out of sight – Scraps had a tendency to find his hidden weapon stashes – he mimicked Duo and dropped the ferret on his shoulder. He was unsure whether the ferret would stay on his shoulder but his doubts were soon assuaged when the ferret began to munch noisily on the apple, right next to his ear. Convinced that the animal was doing it on purpose, Heero scowled as he carefully placed the covered bowl in the refrigeration unit.

"Ok, ready!" Duo announced as he appeared in the open kitchen and dining area, duffle hanging from his shoulder. "Oh heya Scraps, did Heero give you a treat?"

Scraps chirruped in answer as he continued to chew nosily on what remained of his apple slice. As soon as he finished eating, Duo extended his hand and the ferret scrambled up his arm.

"Let's go!" Duo declared as soon as the ferret was safely balanced on his shoulder.

Heero nodded and followed him out into the hall and towards the elevator. The door's opened with a chime to reveal a familiar figure standing next to an imposing hulk of a man.

"Good morning!" Quatre greeted brightly.

"Hey blondie!" Duo answered, his eyes darting between the blonde man and his hulking bodyguard. "When didja get back?"

"Three days ago. Unfortunately I've been caught up in meetings since I've gotten back so I haven't had time to come and see you in your new home. I hope you'll forgive my rudeness."

"Uh yeah sure." Duo replied, still off-balance from the large man's presence.

"Oh! How rude of me. Duo, this is Rashid, head of the Magnacs. Rashid, this is Duo Maxwell, Heero's new companion."

"Nice to meet you Master Duo," the imposing man greeted, his bear-like hand engulfing Duo's.

"Uh yeah.. likewise," Duo stared wide-eyed at the large man. Scraps too stared up at the imposing man, his head poking out from under Duo's braid.

"Oh, and this must your pet!" Quatre exclaimed, catching sight of the pure white animal. "How cute!"

"Yeah, his name is Scraps," Duo replied, finally managing to drag his gaze away from Rashid.

"Scraps?"

"Yep. Short for Scrapper."

"Oh… how unique," Quatre replied blithely.

"Hey blondie," Duo began as he watched the scenery as the glass elevator continued its fluid decent, "what happened to lil' mother an' her pups?"

"Oh, I took them back to L4 with me. Rashid found suitable homes for them all. Right Rashid?"

"Yes, Master Quatre," Rashid replied. "The pups have all been weaned and have been distributed among the classrooms at the Magnac academy. The children will take turns taking care of the animals."

"Oh… yeah, you mentioned they couldn't stay on L1. It's too bad though."

"I'm sure we can arrange to have the students send you pictures," Quatre offered.

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Duo smiled weakly.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open.

"We should arrange a time to have lunch or dinner," Quatre suggested as the four men exited the glass elevator.

"Sure, that'd be good. We're free most nights, right Heero?"

Heero looked up from where he'd been staring at his feet, startled. "What?" Quatre for his part, looked equally stunned but recovered quickly.

"We can do dinner with blondie this week right?"

Heero looked hesitant for a moment before nodding firmly. "Yes _we_ are free for dinner anytime later this week," he stated, almost sounding happy.

Quatre smiled cheerfully but his smile looked strained. "Wonderful! I'll check my schedule and have Rashid contact you once he's made the reservations. Now if you'll excuse us, I'm running a little late!" Quatre waved back at the two men as he was ushered away by Rashid to the limo parked right outside the lobby.

"Hey Heero," Duo called to the other man as he began to walk towards the entrance parking structure next door. "Do ya think we could walk to work today? It's really nice out today and I'd kinda like to stretch my legs a bit…" He shot a significant look at the blue sky and artificial sunshine through the lobby's expansive skylights.

"No," Heero responded bluntly. "We can't risk attracting attention and we don't have the time. Plus, we can't take your ferret outside without a leash."

"Scraps knows to stay close, dontcha boy?" Duo addressed the animal on his shoulder, attempting to disguise his disappointment.

"I found him sleeping in my sock drawer yesterday," Heero countered, "when you said he was in your room taking a nap."

"He was just sleeping," Duo groused, doing nothing to mask his dampened mood. "It's not like he was causin' trouble or anything.'"

Heero was about to reply with several examples of when the ferret caused havoc but he caught sight of a dejected-looking Duo and fell silent. Scraps' beady little eyes met his from where he rode on Duo's shoulder and Heero could almost feel the accusation in the tiny black orbs.

"Do you want to drive?" Heero blurted out suddenly.

Duo looked at him, shocked. Heero looked just as shocked at the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. Before Heero could change is mind, Duo dashed to the car and hopped into the driver's seat.

Heero followed more slowly, popping the trunk to deposit both his and Duo's duffel bags in the trunk. Slamming the trunk shut, he slid into the passenger seat.

"Have you driven before?" Heero asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Duo asked distractedly as he turned the ignition and fiddled with all of the controls. "Oh yeah sure. Sometimes Solo an' me'd steal S.A. supply trucks to feed the kids back at the hideout. Never had driving lessons or anythin', just instinct."

Heero opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it and fastened his seatbelt instead. Glancing at the ferret, Heero plucked him off Duo's shoulder.

"Hey!"

"I don't want him to distract you."

"Sure, but let 'im ride on your shoulder, he likes to look out the window!"

"Ferrets are near-sighted," Heero grumbled as he urged the white-furred animal onto his shoulder. To his surprise, Scraps settled on his shoulder for a second time, head turned to gaze out the window.

"Ready?" Duo asked before shifting into reverse and gunning out of his parking spot. In a flash, he was pulling out of the parking structure at a dizzyingly fast speed.

Heero felt Scraps shift on his shoulder to maintain his balance as Duo turned the first corner a little too fast.

"We're in no rush…" Heero ventured carefully. "And there's a school zone ahead you should probably slow down…"

"Oh right, sorry!" Duo grinned sheepishly. "Never really paid attention to traffic rules before. Oh hey! What's going on over there?" Duo's head turned nearly 180 degrees as he craned his neck back to look at the throng of people assembling in one of the public squares.

"They're setting up for the memorial service today," Heero answered, resisting the urge to grab the wheel as Duo continued to drive, his eyes fixed on the public plaza and not the road.

"Oh, for the people killed by the Bionics?" Duo finally returned his eyes to the road. "'S that why yer wearing a suit today?"

Heero nodded, self-consciously adjusting his tie. "I'm on security detail for the private memorial service that starts later today."

"Huh…" Duo answered neutrally.

The two spent the reminder of the ride in silence. Once Duo had safely pulled the car into the underground parking structure, Heero opened the trunk and handed Duo his duffle before sliding into the driver's seat.

"Huh? Are ya goin' to yer guarding gig already?"

Heero nodded as he fastened his seatbelt.

"In that case why didn't ya just go straight there… you didn't need to go outta yer way to bring me to work… I coulda had one of the Sweepers give me a lift, and-"

"I wanted to," Heero cut him off when he saw that Duo was starting to bristle at what he perceived to be his continued imprisonment. "I… like our morning routine. It makes me feel… normal," Heero stated carefully.

Duo huffed loudly but calmed down somewhat. "Yeah I guess it's kinda nice, not that I know what normal is…"

"Neither do I," Heero replied.

"Huh, we'll aren't we a pair o' ole misfits," Duo ended flippantly, uncomfortable with the somber turn the conversation had taken.

"I should get going," Heero moved to close the door.

"Aren't cha forgettin' something?"

Heero frowned in confusion.

Duo tapped his chest and broke into a wide grin. "As much as I wanna let 'im finish his nap, I think people might notice that yer… whaddya call 'em? Kerchiefs? Oh wait… pocket-square is furry."

Heero looked down at his suit jacket pocket and flinched in shock. Unbeknownst to him, Scraps had crawled into his pocket, folded himself practically in half and was now enjoying a snooze. Heero blinked when Duo's hand slipped into his line of sight, his callused hand scooping the ferret out of his pocket.

"Jeez Scraps, yer gonna give yerself a backache squeezing yerself in like that!" He chided when the ferret half-squeaked at him grumpily. "Ah.. but ya keep getting bigger each day… don't think you'll be able to pull off shenanigans like that much longer…"

"How much bigger is he going to get?" Heero asked, genuinely curious.

"Hmm… Howie's guide says that males grow to over 50cm in length but since Scraps was the runt of the litter so he' d be lucky to hit 40… But that's ok, isn't that boy?" Duo asked the ferret who was now fast asleep, curled up inside Duo's jacket.

"Which means he'll still be able to get into everything," Heero grumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I need to leave." Heero slammed the car door shut and turned the ignition.

"K, have a good day!" Duo waved as Heero pulled out of his parking space and drove towards the exit.

* * *

><p>"The West Quadrant of the square has been cleared," Wufei spoke into his mic as he navigated the throngs of people gathering in the square.<p>

"Roger. Good work Chang," Noin's voice sounded in his ear piece. "Barton?"

"All vantage points cleared. I've set up your equipment Chang," Trowa's calm voice echoed over the private frequency.

"I will go calibrate Nataku to have her run a search and survey program on the crowds, unless you need me for anything else Commander?"

"No, I think we've got enough agents on location. Keep me posted on any anomalies picked up by Nataku."

"Understood." Wufei turned off his mike and made his way towards the exit. On his way out, he caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Mr. Winner," Wufei greeted with a slight bow. "I assure you that the Preventers are more than capable of ensuring your safety at this event. There is no need for you to bring your personal guard. In fact, we must apologize but security protocol dictates only those with prior security clearance may attend the ceremony. I do hope you understand."

"Is that so," Quatre sniffed disdainfully. "Very well, Rashid. Wait for me at the front. Make sure the limo is ready to leave as soon as the memorial is over!" Quatre ordered before purposely bumping into Wufei who surreptitiously slipped him a small chip.

"I apologize for my Master's behavior," Rashid bowed curtly.

"It must be trying, working for a man like Mr. Winner. Let me show you where you can wait for your employer." Wufei continued towards the exit.

"There are certain challenges that come with the job," The hulking man agreed as he followed the Chinese agent.

"He looks tired," Wufei commented when the two men were out of earshot of the large crowd milling at the entrance of the plaza.

The hulking man nodded but didn't speak until they reached the hulking black limousine parked on the curb. "Master Quatre has been working day and night… brokering the deal with…" Rashid trailed off with a meaningful glance.

Wufei nodded. "Is he making progress?"

"Yes, Master Quatre has essentially completed the deal," Rashid replied with a frown.

"You don't seem happy about it," Wufei remarked.

"You are astute as ever Master Chang," Rashid replied. "I am worried about the new… _friends_ the Master has had to make as a result of the deal."

"Friends? Who exactly are-"

"Better cut it short Chang, one of Dermail's aides is heading your way," Trowa's voice warned through the Chinese agent's earpiece.

"Never mind," Agent Chang spoke tersely. "You can take the limo to the corralling area in sub-level 3 of the City Hall Parkade and wait with the other drivers and security escorts. We will make an announcement when the ceremony is nearing its end and you may return then to collect Mr. Winner."

"Is that so?" Rashid glanced at something over Wufei's shoulder as he climbed into the driver's seat. "My Master will be most displeased to hear of these arrangements. You should tell your superior to expect a call from my Master this afternoon. I would advise that she make herself available for the call." With a loud slam, he closed the door and drove off.

"What was that all about Agent?" A short Asian man walked up to Wufei's elbow. "Is the location secure? That man, he's Quatre Raberba Winner's keeper isn't he?"

"I was merely informing Mr. Winner's guard that we had made arrangements for all private security details to be sequestered offsite. The plaza could not accommodate all the guests and their security details, fire regulations-"

"Always such a stickler for the rules," the man's smile didn't reach his eyes. In fact, a sharp menacing energy filled their black orbs. "The man mentioned something about friends?"

"He was merely insinuating that Mr. Winner has some friends in high places and that I should not displease him."

"How upstanding of you, no exceptions for anyone, no matter their status… although you benefited greatly from your status, didn't you prince? Oh, sorry, slip of the tongue! It's 'Agent' now isn't it? How the mighty have fallen…"

"How dare you…" A vein in Wufei's forehead began to throb. "You dishonourable!" Wufei advanced with a growl.

The shorter man took a step forward, "Did I hit a nerve Agent? It wouldn't look-" the man's words ended in a shocked and pained cry.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," Trowa apologized, sounding more bored than sorry, a half-empty coffee cup in hand.

"You asshole, you burned me!" the man practically screamed at him.

"Sorry," Trowa repeated, "I haven't had my coffee yet… although you seem to be wearing most of it."

"You!" the man's exclamation turned into an inarticulate growl as he looked down at his ruined suit. "This area is off limits, what are you doing here?"

Trowa looked down at his coffee cup and took a languid sip from its mostly spilled contents. "Getting coffee," he replied simply.

"Give me your name and identification, right now!" the man demanded irately.

Trowa idly patted his pockets. "My name's Triton Bloom, I have my ID here somewhere…oh, don't you have to be in there?" Trowa remarked lazily, casting a significant glance to the wrought iron gates that were beginning to close.

The man snarled something under his breath before dashing back through the gates and into the crowd of elegantly clothed participants being directed to their seats.

"What did he say there at the end?" Trowa asked conversationally, taking another sip of his now mostly finished coffee.

"I would rather not repeat it." Wufei sighed before whirling on his colleague. "And you! What are you doing here?"

"Getting a coffee?" Trowa replied smoothly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Wufei glared. "I can see that well enough, but question is why? Never mind, come with me," Wufei commanded, pushing him in the direction of his parked Preventers vehicle. "Get in the back or else it will look suspicious."

"Mmm…" Trowa lazily stretched out in the backseat.

"You were supposed to stay on the grounds to monitor the even from the clock tower!" Wufei stated as he turned the ignition.

"Hmm… I decided to take a nap instead."

Wufei's hands clenched on the steering wheel. "A nap? Have you lost your mind?"

"You're the one that always says that tired minds and bodies lead to critical mistakes."

"And why exactly are you so tired?" Wufei asked with some irritation.

A slow smile spread across the tall man's features. "You should already know that I'm a nocturnal creature Wufei. I like to play at night."

"I do not wish to hear of your nightly exploits!" Wufei interjected hurriedly, a faint red staining his ears and neck.

"Oh?" Trowa's smile widened as his eyelids drooped. "You've been rather tense recently…"

Wufei took a sharp left turn, causing Trowa to slide across the backseat and hit the door. "Sorry, my bad," he apologized unapologetically, mimicking his colleague's earlier statement. "I suppose I will need to attach a virus to Triton Bloom's record?" Wufei asked after the redness had faded from his ears and neck.

Trowa yawned widely before answering. "Yeah, I'm sure he won't be able to resist the bait of looking up my record once he gets back to his office."

Wufei nodded. "Which will give Nataku a backdoor into Dermail's network. I still cannot believe that Long would align himself with Dermail…"

"At least you're not brothers anymore," Trowa yawned again, "in more ways than one."

"I would rather not be reminded of that." Wufei frowned. "You just had a coffee. Why are you so tired?"

By this time Trowa had given up on trying to keep his eyes open. "You know I can't tolerate high levels of caffeine. I ordered a decaf, extra hot." Trowa's smile returned.

Wufei cast a sharp glance to his colleague in the rearview mirror. "Was spilling hot coffee on him necessary?"

"Not hot," Trowa replied. "Scalding. And no. But his reaction was rather amusing. You have to agree…"

"I cannot condone your…" Wufei began before breaking into a laugh disguised as a cough. "It is rather satisfying to know he will have to spend the rest of the day in a coffee stained suit…"

When Trowa didn't respond, Wufei glanced at him in the rearview mirror. The lanky covert agent had fallen asleep, head drooping and arms crossed across his broad chest.

Wufei's mouth quirked. "Thank you friend."

* * *

><p>"Hello again Mr. Winner," Dorothy crooned in a sickly sweet voice.<p>

"Ms. Catalonia," Quatre greeted the platinum haired girl.

"It's just so tragic isn't it?" Dorothy commented as she cast her gaze over the milling sea of black formal wear and military uniforms, not sounding sad in the slightest. "I heard that Justice Noventa was a close friend of the Winner family," Dorothy watched Quatre's face like a hawk.

Quatre shrugged. "I think he was a friend of my father's. I don't really remember. I'm just here because Katarina couldn't make it."

"Is that so?" Dorothy smiled sharply. "Have you given any thought to our last chat?"

Quatre paused for a moment, making sure he had Dorothy's full attention. "Actually I have. I'd like to hear what you have in mind."

Dorothy smiled like a gleefully like a hunter that had finally caught its elusive prey.

Quatre placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her away from the crowds and to a more secluded area of the plaza. At the same time, he carefully attached a small chip under one of the many folds of Dorothy's elaborately sculpted black dress.

* * *

><p>"Good boy!" Duo crowed as Scraps poked his small furry head out of a piece of pipe. "Yer so smart, aren't cha boy!"<p>

Scraps squeaked in agreement, snatching a piece of dried fruit from Duo's fingers.

A small knock at the door made Duo whirl around, body moving instinctively to shield his pet. Scraps for his part ignored Duo's protective movements and climbed up his braid to sit on his shoulder. "Who is it?" he called out. The Sweepers would call out to him before coming in, to let him know to grab Scraps so he couldn't escape, but they never knocked.

"It's Quatre, may I come in?"

"Yeah sure, it's not locked…"

A moment later the door slid open and Quatre popped his head in before entering the room. "This is nice," he commented with a smile as he closed the door behind him. "Is this your workshop?" he asked glancing around the medium sized room with a large desk and numerous shelves covered with various mechanical objects and tools. And taking up most of the space in the room was a large contraption constructed from various bits and pieces of pipe.

"Sorta. Howie gave me this space to train Scraps. He's also left me some toys to tinker with," Duo replied, brow raised at the extravagant black suit the blonde man was wearing, complete with a pocket watch and cravat.

"I hope you don't mind my dropping by so suddenly," Quatre fingered the golden chain of his pocket watch nervously.

Duo watched him like a hawk, noticing the nervous tension lining the other man's body. "Nah, nice suit," he commented with a shrug to disguise his growing confusion and suspicion. "How was the ceremony?" he asked, assuming from his clothes that Quatre had attended the memorial service.

"Like most ceremonies," Quatre answered vaguely. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Not to be rude an' all but, aren't we meeting for dinner later? It can't wait until then? Aren't cha a busy man an' all?" His mind flashed back to their earlier meeting in the elevator when Quatre had been taken aback when he'd included Heero in their dinner plans. Duo began to wonder if Quatre hadn't wanted Heero included in their company.

Quatre took a deep breath. "I'd rather speak with you right now, if that is alright with you."

Duo shrugged. "Sure I guess. It's not like I'm workin' on anything urgent…" He gestured to the only chair in the room. "I could take a break," he continued, depositing Scraps in his cage where the ferret promptly burrowed into a pile of blankets.

"Thank you," Quatre dropped into the seat, his hands clenched on his knees.

"Want something to drink?" Duo asked, opening a mini-fridge next to his desk. "I've got those vitamin drinks and… vitamin drinks," he stated, pulling out a can and popping it open.

"No thank you."

"Ya sure?" Duo cocked his head to the side. "You look like you could use a drink… Or we could go up to the caf, they have some pretty decent stuff up there."

"No, no, I'd rather talk to you in private," Quatre replied, confirming Duo's earlier suspicions that the dinner invitation had been for him alone.

"Oh," Duo leaned against his desk and took a sip of his drink, covertly casting a glance at the door. "Shoot." An unsettled feeling began growing in the pit of his stomach, wondering that Quatre wanted with him and him alone.

"Well you see… I, well…" Quatre faltered before visibly steeled himself. "I wanted to tell you face to face, before you heard it from someone else."

Duo's eyes narrowed but he didn't respond.

"I bought L2. We'll, not so much bought the colony as bought the rights to its reconstruction and rights to a renewable lease for 99 years but, it's essentially the same as owning the colony outright."

Duo merely took another sip of his drink. "So?" he asked in a bored tone.

Stunned, Quatre could only stare. "I thought you would be more upset by this…"

"Disappointed?" Duo raised a brow.

"Well no, but I mean, L2 was your home."

"No," Duo interjected quickly. "That place was hell. I tried to blow that shit 'ole up, remember?"

"Oh. Well, I wanted to tell you myself what I had done and why. You see, we believe-"

"The S.A. will try an' get their hands on the colony to tie up loose ends and to retrieve what they can from their labs and armories." Duo finished for him.

"Well, yes…" Quatre stammered. "Which brings me to my next point. I would like to ask for your help."

Duo cocked his head to the side. "Oh yeah? Well, whaddya think lil' ole me can help you with?"

"You know L2 better than anyone. I'd like to ask you to make me a 3D map of the colony, especially anything that doesn't appear on the records created before the S.A. occupation."

"Why?"

"Well, we need to locate S.A. labs and administrative buildings, especially those belonging to the _Liberators_ before they do."

"Huh?" Duo stared at Quatre blankly before slamming his canned drink down beside him. "You crawled into bed with 'em didn't you?"

"It was necessary to establish the connections I would need to try and track down top-ranking S.A. members who are in hiding and to identify their financial backers."

The corner of Duo's mouth twitched. "And who better to do that then the reckless billionaire playboy, Quatre Raberba Winner," Duo laughed humourlessly. "Why not just 'accidentally' blow up the colony?"

"I'd rather not," Quatre replied. "I need to maintain those connections but more importantly, I genuinely would like to reconstruct L2 for habitation."

Duo looked genuinely surprised. "You sure yer up for it? L2 was recreated to be a cesspool of hatred and desperation, to slowly kill its inhabitants. It's full o' ghosts and demons now; those who died in anguish, those who relished in their pain. Stuff like that can't be erased with a shiny new paint job."

"I know that. But I would still like to try," Quatre stated earnestly.

"Says the man whose expertise is in resource satellites and asteroid mining… Sure ya can gather the resource, but whaddya know about buldin'?"

"I see you've done your research on me," Quatre smiled wanly. "It's true that I don't know much about building and reconstruction, but the Sweepers have agreed to help, in fact, Howard was the one who originally came up with the plan."

"The ole goat did, did he?" Duo pondered that piece of information.

"Plus, I have you, you know more about L2 than anyone else."

"Yah, yah, lucky you. Ya got a L2 street rat captive."

"No, I have a friend."

Duo stilled at the blonde man's comment. "Ha, I wasn't born yesterday. Yer tryin' to manipulate me."

"No. Perhaps I presumed too much. I would like us to be friends," Quatre met Duo's gaze steadily. "We're not enemies you know…"

Duo broke his gaze first. "'S that so?" He picked up his vitamin drink and fiddled with the can, unwilling to say anything more.

"I should get going," Quatre stood up when the silence became unbearable. "Thank you for listening."

"Wait!" Duo called when Quatre reached the door. "Send me what specs ya got for L2. I'll take a look at 'em."

A joyous smile spread across Quatre's face. "Thank you Duo."

"Don't get me wrong, it's just that I can't let those sleazy S.A. bastards access their lil' treasure troves on L2. And yer gonna owe me, big," Duo emphasized the last word. "Shinigami always collects."

"Of course," Quatre nodded simply, still smiling.

"Damn," Duo muttered when the door slid shut behind Quatre. "I'm such a softy…" Duo moved to Scraps' cage and pulled out the sleeping ferret, cradling his pet in the crook of his arm and petting the animal's soft white fur. "He's good… really good. He's figured out my weakness."

Duo sat down on the floor next to the ferret's cage, the animal still in his arms. "Hey Scraps, do ya miss yer brothers an' sisters?"

* * *

><p>Wufei Chang's fingers flew over the keyboard as he raced against a scrolling line of code. "I am in!" he cried out triumphantly when the screen flashed with an 'Access Granted' notification.<p>

"Long took the bait?" Trowa asked from where he was stretched out on the couch in the basement lab, eyes closed, one arm draped over his face.

"He did. I've managed to gain general access to Dermail's private network. It will take some time for Nataku to infiltrate their higher security levels undetected but we should have full access by tomorrow."

"Now we just have to hope that he'll be stupid enough to contact his fellow members through his network," Trowa commented.

Wufei shook his head. "Doubtful. Dermail is too careful for that. But we can hope that his staff will."

Trowa stretched his limbs before sitting up. "You think some of his staff are S.A.?"

"It is possible. But even if they are not, Dermail will have them perform tasks that are connected to his S.A. activities, knowingly or not. The man believes himself above most 'menial' tasks."

"What about the bug Quatre planted on Dorothy?" Trowa asked with a wide yawn.

"Nothing, just senseless prattling. That woman seems to be addicted to the sound of her voice," Wufei groused. "Dorothy did not reveal much in her conversation with Quatre. After that she merely paid lip service to several members of the Senate and their staff. And it appears that she rode home alone and not with her grandfather."

"Nothing after that?"

"No, she soon changed out of her dress and the line has gone silent. It seems like planting a bug on her dress was a waste. I find it highly unlikely that she will be wearing that dress in the near future. Aristocratic women seem to have some inane aversion to being seen in a dress they have worn recently," Wufei commented in disdain. "It makes me wonder why Noin gave the order to bug her dress. The risk of discovery seems to far too high for the small possibility that we would have learned anything in the few hours after the ceremony."

"It is unlike Noin to make a call like that," Trowa agreed. "You didn't object?"

"Noin was adamant. She seems hell bent in catching Dorothy in the act. It has become a personal vendetta to her."

"Hmm…" Trowa responded noncommittally. "What about Rashid? Did he get anything from the other drivers and private security guards?"

Wufei shook his head. "He was able to glean very little from the other drivers and bodyguards; most of the conversations centered around complaints about hours and pay. He was, however, invited to a poker game with some of the other bodyguards…"

"I don't think Rashid knows how to play the game... I suppose Quatre could teach him," Trowa mused. A moment later, his comm unit began to beep urgently.

"What is it?"

"Duo's vital signals have spiked," Trowa replied with a frown.

Wufei quickly tapped a few keys and an assortment of monitors popped up on to one of Nataku's screens. "His heart rate is almost double but he's barely breathing," Wufei read the monitors in alarm. "Is he having a seizure?" Wufei tapped a few more keys and paled. Bolting from his seat, he sprinted for the door. "He's in the Conservatory!" he yelled back to his colleague who took off after him just as quickly.

* * *

><p>Duo sighed as he placed his tablet back on his desk. "I need a break," he muttered to himself. For the past few hours he had diligently gone through the L2 specs Quatre had sent him, carefully going through every section, quadrant by quadrant, identifying S.A. hideouts, labs and armouries; at least those he remembered. Since he had never really navigated L2 using map coordinates – he had mostly navigated by landmarks and radioactive tags left by his fellow UNDIS rebels - it took him longer than he liked to superimpose his mental map of the colony onto the specs Quatre had sent him.<p>

Scraps had been less than impressed with his work, perturbed that Duo had paid little attention to him all afternoon. When he'd first started working on the specs, Scraps had been sleeping peacefully in his cage. He'd soon woken up however, and made a nuisance of himself until Duo had let him out and scattered a few toys to keep him occupied. After that, Duo had all but forgot about his pet as he became engrossed in his work, only surfacing once to make a quick trip to the break room to grab a snack and some coffee before returning to his work. Feeling bad for ignoring his furry friend for so long, he spun in his chair to look for his pet when he felt his stomach drop.

On his trip back from the break room, he'd forgotten to fully close the door behind him. And Scraps was nowhere to be seen.

"Ok, don't panic," he told himself as he pulled out his comm unit and activated the tracker chip Howard had imbedded in his pet. The screen showed a blinking dot located in a dome-like structure. Comparing it to a map of the Sweepers headquarters, Duo discovered that although it was on ground level and detached from the main building, it was on Sweepers property.

He thought of calling Howard but he dreaded having to admit to doing something as stupid as forgetting to close his workshop door. And since it was Sweepers property and technically within strict stipulations of his freedom, Duo decided to try and retrieve his wayward pet himself. Quickly making his way to the ground floor, he went through the back exit and headed towards the dome which turned out to be a glass conservatory that was connected to the main building through a narrow glass-covered walkway.

With the slightest bit of hesitation, he paused before pushing open the door to the conservatory, failing to notice that the door locked from the outside.

The first thing that hit Duo when he entered was the fragrant aroma of roses. Pausing to take an appreciative sniff, Duo surveyed the inside of the conservatory. Red rose bushes filled the entirety of conservatory except for one small section which appeared to house a small herb garden. Gravel paths weaved through the rose bushes, all leading to a small wooden gazebo built on a small patch of grass at the very center conservatory. Artificial sunlight filtered through the glass of the conservatory, bathing the interior in a warm glow.

Consulting his comm unit, Duo saw that his mischievous pet was still somewhere in the dome, most likely hiding somewhere among the thick rose bushes.

"Scraps?" Duo called out cautiously as he advanced down one of the paths. As he rounded one of the curves in the gravel path, he almost stumbled over the woman who was kneeling at the base of a red rose bush. The woman looked up in surprise, her gardening shears frozen at the base of a long stemmed rose.

"Hello," she greeted with a smile, brushing the dirt off her long burgundy skirt and pocketing her gardening shears.

"Uh, hi…" Duo greeted uncertainly. "Umm… I'm looking for-"

"Oh, is this your first visit?" The brunette woman interrupted. "I am Lady Une. Please allow me to give you a tour." Lady Une extended her hand, the lace trim on her white blouse falling delicately around her wrist.

"Duo Maxwell," Duo replied, completely disarmed by the woman's charming demeanor.

"I'm so glad you came," Lady Une smiled as she turned to lead him further down the path. "There are so few who come to visit recently. It must be because of the war," she sighed softly, her long skirt swirling around her ankles.

Duo found the comment odd but didn't think too much of it, already completely bewildered by the strange atmosphere he found himself in.

"These are Royal Baccara," Lady Une informed him, extending her hand towards the roses to their left. "And these are Rouge Baiser," she explained, gesturing to her right.

Unable to distinguish between the two types of red roses, Duo merely nodded, noting that the woman in front of him was graceful and refined in her movements, much like the delicate roses that surrounded him.

"And these," Lady Une continued, bending delicately at the waist to gracefully smell a particularly deep red blossom, "is the Luna Rosa. Mr. Treize's favourite type of rose."

Something tickled at the edge of Duo's memory. Remembering that the Sweepers offices bordered the Khushrenada Gardens, it clicked.

"You mean Treize Khushrenada?"

Lady Une's face lit up. "Yes. I have the honour of taking care of Mr. Treize's beloved roses."

"Oh, in his memory?" Duo asked innocently.

"Memory?" The brown-eyed woman repeated curiously.

"Well, he was a hero right? He publicly defected from the S.A. to lead the rebellion."

"Was?" Lady Une repeated, a slight tremble entering her voice.

"Umm… well wasn't he killed in battle?"

"Killed?" she repeated like a child, eyes glazed over.

"Well uh.. yeah.." Duo replied uncertainly. "I'm sorry for your loss?" he tried.

"_Master _Treize is not dead."

A cold chill ran down Duo's back and he stepped back in alarm when the woman in front of him suddenly _changed_. The soft glow in her eyes had been replaced by a manic gleam. She stood straighter, her stance wide and strong. The woman in front of him was no longer a gentile gardener but a soldier, ready for battle.

"Have you come to assassinate Master Treize?"

"Wait what?" Duo yelped in alarm. "Assasinate!? No! Ya see, I left my door open and my ferret escaped an' I'm lookin' for him. He's all white, black eyes and small 'cause he's the runt…" Duo babbled furiously backpedaled towards the door. "Look, I don't wanna 'cause any trouble so I'll just get out of yer way and-" Duo's eyes widened in horror when his back hit the door and he realized that it was locked.

"I won't allow you to harm Master Treize!" The woman snarled and leapt forward.

Duo just barely managed dodge and took off running. He'd barely made it a few feet before he was knocked to the ground. The woman was on him in an instant. Duo managed to struggle enough to roll himself onto his back so that he could fight back but the woman was relentless.

"Lady Une, please! I'm not here to kill Treize Khushrenada!" he cried out as he struggled to push her off. His struggles were futile; soon her hands were wrapped around his throat. With growing terror, he realized that the woman above him was inhumanely strong and that there was no way he could break free of her grasp.

"Please… L..ady…" he gasped painfully.

"Coward! Your pathetic cries for mercy won't save you," she sneered, tightening her grip.

Duo felt his vision darkening as he scrabbled futilely at the woman's death grip on his throat. And just as he thought he would be meeting his maker, through a fog, he heard the door slam open and the pressure lifted.

"Let me go! He's here to kill Master Treize!" Duo could hear her screaming as he gulped one burning lungful of air after another.

"Lady Une, stop!" It took him a moment to recognize the voice as Wufei's.

"Get up, we need to go," he felt himself get hauled to his feet. Dazedly, he identified the man next to him as Trowa. And for once, he was grateful to see him.

"Traitor! Kill him!" the woman continued to scream.

Duo glanced in the direction of the screaming woman, just in time to see her break free of Wufei's grasp and lunge for him again.

Wufei recovered quickly and once again got a hold of the crazed woman, but not before she had managed to propel herself against Duo and Trowa, causing them to stumble backwards. As he lost his footing, he saw Wufei manage to get the woman in an inescapable headlock, his dark eyes glaring at him over her shoulder. "Stand down _Colonel_, stand down!" he heard. The next instant, Duo felt thorns dig into him as he tumbled into a rose bush.

Dazed, Duo extricated himself from the rose bush and pushed himself to his hands and knees. Hearing soft swearing behind him, he turned and froze in shock.

Trowa had also been knocked into rose bush and as a result, his bangs had gotten tangled in its thorns, revealing a black eye-patch over his right eye. Trowa noticed his gaze and forcibly pulled himself from the rose bush, yanking his hair back down over the eye patch.

"We should leave," Trowa none-too gently hauled him to his feet.

Duo followed him with little protest, glancing back only once to see Wufei kneeling next to the unconscious body of Lady Une.

* * *

><p>"Ow," Duo grumbled as Trowa pulled another thorn out of his side.<p>

"I think that's the last of them," Trowa announced as he roughly swabbed the puncture wound with an antiseptic-soaked cotton ball. "You can put your shirt back on now," he told him as he pulled off a pair of medical gloves with a snap.

Duo pulled his shirt back over his head, making a face at the small tears that peppered the soft black fabric. His Sweepers coveralls were worse off, some areas were completely shredded. "How come you're not all scratched up like me?" Duo grumbled, noting the pristine condition of the tall man's clothes.

"My clothes are made out of Gundanium weave. It's not as strong as our suits, but it affords some protection for unanticipated situations," Trowa emphasized the word 'unanticipated'.

"Oh yeah… about that…"

"Here," Trowa held out a glass of water in one hand and two white pills in the palm of his other hand.

"What are these?" he asked as he accepted the water and pills.

"Some broad-spectrum antibiotics and immune boosters. The rose conservatory is kept humid and it leads to the proliferation of bacteria and other environmental variables."

"Oh," Duo examined the pills in his hands.

"If you don't trust me then throw them away. But don't blame me when you get sick later," Trowa stated, turning to look at a mirror and dab at the single scratch on his cheek.

"I wasn't thinkin' that," Duo grumbled as he quickly swallowed the pills, wincing as they traveled down his extremely sore throat.

"You're lucky Une didn't crush your throat."

"Well it sure feels like she did… So umm…" he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Your, uh, hairstyle… it's not just some weird fashion statement huh?"

Trowa sighed before brushing back his bangs to reveal his eye patch. "Satisfied?"

"What happened to your eye?" Duo blurted out, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

Trowa remained silent for so long that Duo thought he wouldn't answer. "A… _souvenir_ from the S.A." Trowa replied at last.

"Oh," Duo replied stupidly. "Doesn't it mess with your depth perception an' what not? An' what about peripheral vision? It must give ya a blind spot on your right side."

"No," Trowa replied , "I've had a long time to learn to compensate. Don't think you've found a weakness of mine, because it isn't." Trowa's tone was frigid as held Duo's gaze for a long moment before fluidly standing and making his way towards the door. "I'm going to call Heero. Don't leave. Wufei is on his way here." With those simple words, the door snicked shut behind the tall man and Duo was left alone in one of the small rooms situated in the medical wing of the Sweepers headquarters.

"Shit," Duo muttered to himself as he heard the lock fall into place. "He's pissed. He's always been a smug bastard but I've never seen 'im mad…."

* * *

><p>Relena gazed at her reflection as she fastened the butterfly clips on the back of her diamond teardrop earrings, their weight tugging at her earlobes. She cast one last look at her reflection as she smoothed away a blonde flyaway before standing, her silk skirts swirling around her feet. Carefully arranging the full folds of her champagne coloured dress, she stepped into her heels and gracefully made her way to open the door of her bedroom when her hand stilled on the doorknob. She could hear Heero's voice on the other side of the door, and he sounded tense. Curiosity getting the best of her, she pressed her ear against the door and listened.<p>

"What was he doing in the Conservatory?" Heero growled.

When Relena didn't hear a reply, she guessed that Heero was talking to someone on his comm unit.

"You're sure Duo's alright? I can-" Heero stopped mid-sentence, most likely to listen to what the other person had to say.

"Fine. I will be late tonight; can you keep an eye on him until I get back?"

Another brief silence.

"Yes. Yuy out."

Relena heard a small beep as Heero ended the call. She pulled back from the door and contemplated the one-sided conversation she had just overheard. She didn't know who this 'Duo' was, but judging from Heero's tone, he was someone close to him. Casting a glance at the ornate grandfather clock in her room, she saw that it was time to leave. With a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out into her sitting room when her heart skipped a beat.

Heero stood with his back to her, his silhouette illuminated by the lamp light filtering in through the window. He stood tall, arm braced against the window, staring out into the courtyard that led to Peacecraft Manor.

"Heero?" she called out when he didn't turn immediately at her presence like he usually did.

Heero started imperceptibly at the sound of her voice and turned. "Ready?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes," Relena replied, reaching out to grasp his elbow. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," Heero replied succinctly.

"Oh."

Relena remained silent as he escorted her down the stairs and towards the banquet hall. Several times she thought of asking him about his call but decided each time to remain silent. Once they reached the ornate banquet hall with its high ceilings and ornate gold and crystal chandeliers, Heero led her to her seat at the head table and pulled out the chair for her. Dorothy Catalonia, already seated at the table dressed in grey silk, smiled at Relena as she took her seat, not paying much mind to Heero who retreated to one of the upper balconies to keep an eye on the proceedings. Moments later the lights dimmed and a small blonde girl stepped up to the podium at the far side of the room.

"Good evening," the petite girl spoke into the microphone. "I thank you all for joining me tonight to honour the memory of my grandfather, the late Justice Noventa. I would like to thank Supreme Minister Peacecraft for graciously hosting tonight's dinner…"

Relena's attention soon wandered from the girl speaking at the podium, her mind drifting back to the conversation she had overheard between Heero and the unknown caller.

"Is something the matter Ms. Relena?" Dorothy Catalonia whispered to her when the room broke out in polite applause at the end of the girl's speech.

"Have you heard of a Preventers agent named Duo?" Relena asked as she continued to clap politely.

"Duo?" Dorothy wondered, arching one of her winged eyebrows. "What an odd name. And he works for the Preventers?"

"Well, no, I'm not sure. But Heero seemed quite concerned about him, he was talking to someone about him just before we came down to dinner…" Relena ended the conversation hastily as the applause died down and the late Justice's wife began to speak.

'Someone the unflappable Heero Yuy is concerned about,' Dorothy mused to herself as she leaned back in her seat, pretending to listen to the elderly woman speak. 'How interesting…'

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hello all. And I know, it's been a long time since my last update. Sorry. This chapter went through several re-writes, still not 100% happy with it but I couldn't fiddle with it forever. Long story short, I went with a small time-skip and cut a lot of scenes out of this chapter. Never fear, some of those scenes will be included in the next chapter, which means that it's already... 16 written. ._

_Next chapter will feature Wufei, Une and Trowa's backstories and some more Heero & Duo scenes, if I can get Heero to cooperate... *prods Heero with a stick*. Oh and lots of big hints coming in the next chapter! (There were quite a few in this one too :)) Anyways, I hope to have the next chapter up in November, fingers crossed. _

_As always, C&C's are most welcome. 3_

_And thank you again for continuing to read my beloved/detested behemoth. _


	26. Episode Twenty-Five: The Scholar

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

* * *

><p><em>Episode Twenty-Five: The Widowed Scholar <em>_(January 23, 280 AE)_

* * *

><p>Duo waited for what felt like an agonizingly long time before the door opened and Wufei marched in, Scraps hanging from his grasp by the scruff of his neck.<p>

"I presume this is the reason you were in Conservatory?" Wufei intoned evenly as he held up the ferret who hung limply in his grasp, yawning.

"Uh yeah… he got away," Duo replied, carefully reaching for his ferret. Although the Chinese's man's tone was calm, his body was tense, muscles bunching in his arms and neck, and his eyes burned with a dark fire.

"And how did your animal get away?" Wufei asked stiffly as he dropped the ferret into Duo's outstretched hands.

"I was… umm.. busy… and a lil' distracted… sorry. I really am sorry."

"Busy doing what?" Wufei shot back quickly. "I was led to understand that your main responsibility at the moment is the training of that animal," Wufei pointed at Scraps who had snuggled into the crook of Duo's elbow.

Duo opened and closed his mouth several times before answering. "Blondie came by and asked for a favour…"

"Favour?" Wufei raised a brow before his confusion and most of his anger bled from his features. "Ah, so he gave you the news about L2 and asked for your knowledge about the colony."

"Yeah." Duo stroked Scraps' fur, finding some comfort in its softness. "I guess yer lockin' me up again?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, for one ya seem pretty calm but I bet you wanna tear my head off about now," Duo replied, eyeing the throbbing vein on Wufei's temple, "and second, I fucked up pretty bad today… and the boss lady said she'd be more than happy to keep me locked up…"

"Boss? You are referring to Commander Noin?"

Duo nodded.

"I cannot speak for her, but I see no reason to 'lock you up'. And yes, although I am angered by today's events, based on the evidence, I must recognize that today's… _incident_, occurred due to a series unfortunate circumstances."

"Huh? Evidence?" Duo looked taken aback.

"There was no logical reason for you to be in the Conservatory. Moreover, I could not even think of any connection between yourself and Lady Une. I therefore reviewed the security feeds to ascertain why you were in the Conservatory. The reason for your presence became quite evident when I saw your animal wander in through an air vent. As for the altercation with Lady Une, it was unfortunate that you happened to mention Treize Khushrenada, but there was no way for you to know how Lady Une would react. Furthermore, when Lady Une became hostile towards you, you attempted to reason with her and retreat."

Duo fiddled with the end of his braid. "Well, 's more like I knew if I got into it with her, I woulda lost for sure. Hand to hand's not really my thing."

"But you did not treat her like an enemy."

"Well, no, I mean… no offense or anythin' but she's not all there is she?" Duo pointed at his head as he made his observation.

Wufei nodded somberly.

"But hey, you were still mad as hell when ya stormed in here with poor Scraps, he doesn't like bein' held by his scruff!"

"After spending 20 minutes trying to catch that animal I was in no mood to let it escape," Wufei replied gruffly. "And I was upset that you were careless enough to let it escape, since your main concern is the care of this animal. However, now that I know the reason for your distraction, I find that I can empathize."

"Empathize? Ya think ya can empathize with growin' up on L2? Bein' an UNDIS?"

"No," Wufei replied, holding his hand up to cut off Duo's tirade. "But I can empathize with having conflicting emotions about your home colony."

Duo's anger dissipated with Wufei's simple statement. "Oh yeah, yer from L5 aren't ya?"

"I am." Wufei glanced at his watch down at his watch to note the time. "Do you have a small carrier for that animal?"

"Huh?" Duo blinked at the sudden change in topic. "What?"

"Do you have a small carrier that can house your animal for a few hours? And not that monstrosity you have in your office," Wufei replied, referring to the large cage slash playpen Duo had in his office.

"Uh yeah, I have a small travel carrier," Duo replied. "Why?"

"I would like to invite you to my home for dinner; unless you have more pressing matters?"

"Uh no but umm…"

"I feel like our conversation will go on for some time and it would be much better to have our conversation over dinner and in a more comfortable setting."

"Uh…" Duo muttered stupidly, still trying to reconcile how a tongue-lashing had turned into an invitation for dinner.

"Do you have some sort of objection to sitting down to a meal with me? Yuy did mention that you do not like to eat alone."

"Huh, what? Oh that, well it's not like I was gonna sit there an' let him watch me eat when he wasn't…"

Wufei sighed. "Never mind the technicalities, do you accept my invitation or would you rather I simply drop you off at your home?"

Duo was about to pick the latter when his curiosity go the best of him. "Dinner at your place sounds good, thanks."

Duo was rewarded with a slight inclination of Wufei's head and a small smile. "Very well, let us collect your things and we will be on our way."

Still perplexed by the strange development, Duo followed Wufei back to his office where he quickly packed his duffle and pulled out small carrier for Scraps. Exhausted from his big adventure, Scraps burrowed into the soft blankets that lined the carrier with little protest. Zipping the top of the soft mesh carrier closed, Duo slung his duffle over his shoulder and picked up the small carrier.

"Ready?" Wufei asked.

At Duo's nod, Wufei led him down to the lower levels of the Sweepers office. Duo walked past the familiar row of offices, not paying much attention as he had been down here several times before. He frowned in confusion, however, when Wufei came to a stop in front of a door labeled as a storage room. Wufei opened the door to reveal a room filled with crates and shelves full of a random assortment of spare parts. Pushing one of the shelves to the side, Wufei revealed a small handprint and retinal scanner. After placing his hand on the pad and aligning his eye with the retinal scanner, a small beep sounded and a portion of the wall popped out to reveal an elevator. Ushering a mystified Duo inside, Wufei quickly punched in a code, causing the wall to pop back into place. Seconds later, Duo felt his stomach bottom out as the elevator began its descent, noting that he could see the wall in front of him rush by. And just as quickly as the elevator began its decent, the elevator slowed to a stop, revealing a long concrete corridor.

"No doors?" Duo wondered when the elevator came to a rest.

"We did not feel they were necessary. We lose enough time with the opening and closing of the hidden panel, we did not want to add additional time with doors. Those extra few seconds proved their worth today," Wufei noted, casting a significant glance at Duo's bruised throat. "This way."

Wufei went partway down the corridor before stopping before a heavily reinforced door. Duo noted that it would take more than ordinary explosives to get this door to budge.

"Hello Nataku."

"Nat who?" Duo asked, glancing around the empty hall, trying to figure out who Wufei was talking to. "Oh right, your computer… but isn't she upstairs?" he asked, referring to the large computer in the offices upstairs.

Wufei merely smiled and Duo twitched involuntarily as he heard the sound of numerous deadbolts retracting and the door opened.

"Welcome to my real office," Wufei announced, gesturing for Duo to enter the darkened room, "and meet the real Nataku."

With a small amount of trepidation, Duo took a step forward. The second his foot crossed the threshold, the lights flickered on and Duo's jaw dropped. The largest computer Duo had ever seen took up one end of the room with a mounted array of over 20 monitors lining the walls, each screen displaying a different image: scrolling lines of code, security feeds or analysis programs.

"Shit! That's nothing like what you have upstairs…" Duo practically drooled.

"Yes, the upper level is merely a smokescreen." Wufei marched briskly into his office, past the array of monitors and towards another door at the back of the room. By the time Duo managed to tear his eyes away from Nataku, Wufei had reemerged with a satchel in hand.

"Goodnight Nataku," Wufei called back as he led Duo out of the office and the deadbolts clicked into place behind him.

"We're not goin' back up?" Duo wondered when Wufei led him in the opposite direction of the hidden elevator.

"I am just going to stop by Barton's office, he has not responded to my last message," Wufei informed him before rapping on another, less formidable, door. "Strange, has he left already?"

"Umm.. is he still supposed to be here?" Duo shifted uneasily from one foot to another.

"Yes. I also invited him to dinner. He did not indicate that he would not be joining us."

"Err… about that…"

"What?" Wufei raised a brow.

"I kinda umm, saw his eye and he kinda got pissed. Well, starin' an' askin' him about it probably didn't do me any favours either…" Duo admitted sheepishly.

Wufei went deadly still. "You saw his eye?"

"Well, his lack of, well, I'm guessin' it's a lack of since I only saw the eye patch but…"

"Ah." Wufei answered cryptically. "I suppose he will not be joining us for dinner then."

"Sorry 'bout that…"

"It is fine. Barton is not much of a conversationalist." Wufei continued down the hall as he typed something into his comm unit. The comm unit beeped soon after and Wufei slipped it into his pocket.

"Umm…"

"There is another exit," Wufei replied before Duo could finish his question. "The Kushrenadas were a very resourceful family." Wufei led him around several corners, what appeared to be a fully equipped medical lab and another row of closed doors, presumably locked.

"So they built all this stuff down here?"

"Mainly, yes. The Sweepers helped us with a few modifications, others we did on our own."

"Huh… so why haven't ya bein' usin' this place all along? I mean, this place beats yer old shin digs."

"Treize Kushrenada may have been our ally, but the rest of his family was not. And until recently, they had claim to the Kushrenada properties."

"The rest of his family? I thought he was the last of 'em?"

"The Dermails and Catalonias are branch families of the Krushrenada family. Until recently, they had made their own combined bids for these properties but were unsuccessful."

"Unsuccessful?" Duo queried as a steel door at the of hall slid open at their approach, revealing a set of stairs.

"They lost much of their fortune during the wars, mostly to hide their ties to the S.A. I suspect. Unfortunately they still managed to maintain much of their power."

"How the hell'd they manage to do it?" Duo grumbled as he followed Wufei up the stairs.

Wufei shot him a mild glare over his shoulder.

"Right, stupid question," Duo muttered to himself. "If ya knew that, they still wouldn't be runnin' around free…"

The two men finished their climb and exited into a dark, dank and confined space.

"What the hell?"

Wufei didn't respond and instead pulled out his comm unit and checked it. Satisfied, he walked forward and disappeared from sight.

Duo hurried after him and blinked in shock when he suddenly found himself under open skies. He glanced around him and realized that they were in the middle of the stone garden. "The shed?" he exclaimed, looking back at the small hut. "Hey, is that the same wall trick thingy as in Blondie's place?"

"If you are referring to the WEI building's hidden sectors, then yes."

"Huh. So it's WEI tech?"

"No. Winner has his own ventures separate from WEI, as I am sure you have already discerned."

"Yeah, like buying colonies…" Duo grumbled. "Hey! The parking structure's that way!" Duo pointed behind him.

"My home is within walking distance. Unless you have an objection to walking?"

"Nope!" Duo replied cheerfully, a bounce returning to his step. At Duo's reply, Scraps, realizing that he was outside, began to make a nuisance of himself, bouncing around and squeaking in excitement.

Duo reached for the top zipper of the mesh carrier but thought better of it when he felt the weight of Wufei's glare. "Sorry buddy, I think ya had enough adventure for one day."

* * *

><p>Sally Po looked up from her tablet when the figure on the bed stirred.<p>

"Sally?" the woman on the bed asked. "What am I…" she began to ask before sitting up with a gasp. "Did I fail the mission?"

Sally hesitated before replying. "Just rest Lady Une. You need to regain your strength."

"Master Treize! Is Master Treize alright?"

"Everything's fine Lady Une, you just rest," Sally soothed, urging the woman to lie back down.

"But Master Treize!"

"He is not here right now," Sally bit her lip, "He said to await his return."

"Oh," the brunette woman lay back down docilely. "Will he return soon?"

Sally smoothed the covers, avoiding the other woman's eyes. "Sleep. You won't have to wait for much longer."

* * *

><p>"Nice digs!" Duo commented as he took in the modest apartment with unabashed curiosity. The entryway led directly into a compact kitchen and dining area, and beyond that Duo could see a simple living area with a couch, a moderately sized vidscreen and what looked like a door that led out to the covered balconies Duo had observed outside.<p>

"Not all of us _surface dwellers_, I believe you call us, lead such extravagant lives as Winner," Wufei noted with a dry smile.

"Hey, I didn't say anythin'," Duo grumbled as he glanced sideways and noted another door to his left which presumably led to the bedroom and bath.

"True, but you were taken aback at the size of my humble dwelling."

Duo shrugged. "How'd ya know we called yer kind surface dwellers?"

Wufei slipped off his shoes and shot a significant glance at Duo's booted feet. "You are not the first UNDIS I have encountered."

Duo shot him a dirty look but plopped down on the floor and began untying his laces, his physical strength clearly waning. "I'm not genetically perfect like you," he grumbled under his breath when Wufei watched him with a raised brow.

"There is no such thing as a perfect genetic specimen," the Chinese man commented dryly. "And I suspect your weakness comes more from your environment than your genetic origins… and your current exhaustion is more mental than physical."

"Whaddya mean there's no such thing as a perfect specimen? Yer all perfect!"

"The elimination of flaws does not induce the achievement of perfection." Wufei replied serenely, gesturing towards the living room. "Please make yourself at home."

"Oh great, a philosopher!" Duo rolled his eyes as he marched past the Chinese man and plopped down on the couch, placing Scraps' carrier on the cushion next to him. "Oh shit! No wonder!" he exclaimed when he realized that what he had previously believed to be a tacky wallpaper pattern was in fact a wall to wall bookshelf crammed full of bound volumes.

Unable to contain himself, Duo jumped to his feet and approached the bookshelf, examining the seemingly endless range of titles, his fingers stopping inches from the bound volumes.

"Be my guest," Wufei inclined his head towards the wall of books, adding noodles to a pot of boiling water. "Just keep them away from your animal."

"Really?" Duo wondered aloud, his fingers twitching. "Aren't these things worth a fortune?"

"Yes, a wealth of knowledge."

Duo carefully pulled a book off the shelf and opened it, noting the well-thumbed pages. "No, I mean the thousand credit price tag! The ole' lady at the shop said most people just buy these things to show off."

"These books are what are left of my family's collection. I have also been collecting books since I was young, you could call it my hobby," Wufei smiled wanly before a confused look crossed his face.

"The old lady at the shop?"

"Yeah, in the market near Blondie's digs. Got about double what ye have here, all locked up and musty smellin'," Duo answered as he thumbed through another book. "Oh yeah, and yer not so subtle drop zone."

"How do you know about the bookstore?"

"Went there with _Pier_.. I mean, Trowa, the other day."

"Which day exactly?"

"Umm… the day you guys moved into the Sweepers base?" Duo replied, not really paying attention.

"Is that so," Wufei brushed past him with a dark look on his face and opened the door to the balcony. He re-entered the room moments later with a handful of herbs.

Duo looked up with interest from his book and caught a glimpse of a small collection of potted plants and a box of herbs on the covered balcony before the door snicked shut behind the Chinese man and whistled lowly. "Yeh've got a green thumb! That herb garden in the Conservatory yours too?"

"What makes you think that?"

"The herbs there were grown in the same pattern as the box yeh got out there, more variety though."

"Observant as always," Wufei stated as he placed two steaming bowls on the kitchen table, "You were taught well by Solo."

"Don't talk like ya knew him," Duo glared over the pages of his book.

"I apologize for my presumption. I would have liked to have known him. What little data Nataku was able to retrieve from your sanctuary on L2 indicated that he had considerable horticultural skill."

"Horti-what?" Duo repeated in confusion, closing the book in his hands and returning it to the shelf, his eyes continuing their scan of the shelves and noting that they were ordered alphabetically.

"It is the science and technology of-" Wufei began to answer as he sliced a block of tofu.

"-of plant cultivation," Duo interrupted as he flipped through the pages of another book.

Wufei hid a smile as he saw that Duo had picked out a well-worn book on the study of horticulture.

Several minutes later Wufei finished setting out a small meal on the table and looked towards the living room to find Duo deeply engrossed in his reading.

"Dinner is ready."

"Mmm," Duo replied as he continued to read for a few more seconds before carefully closing the book and re-shelving it.

"Damn, that smells good," Duo commented, his stomach rumbling as he took his seat opposite Wufei. "What is it?" he asked, his foul mood forgotten as he looked at the bowl in front of him and the various dishes placed between himself and Wufei.

"Just a simple vegetable broth with egg noodles. You can add any of the ingredients in front of you to your liking," Wufei pointe to each dish in turn, "Tofu, green onion, bean sprouts, cilantro, lemon grass and boiled eggs. I apologize for the lack of meat, I did not have any on hand today."

"Nah, no worries, I mean… meat's pricey," Duo watched as Wufei transferred the ingredients from the various plates into his bowl. Following suit, he added everything to his bowl, except for the tofu.

"You do not like tofu?" Wufei asked after his first mouthful.

"Not so much dislike… just… well, most times in the orphanage, all we had to eat was fortified tofu porridge. It kept us alive but well… it tasted-"

"Bland?" Wufei interjected before Duo could finish his sentence.

"I was gonna use another word but that works too…"

"Well in that case," Wufei rose from the table and retrieved a small jar from a kitchen cupboard and handed it to Duo. "Just a pinch will suffice."

"Thanks," Duo accepted the small vial filled with tiny red flakes. "Oh! That's good!" he grinned around a mouthful. "What is it?"

"A traditional Asian spice mix," Wufei resumed eating his dinner.

"Didya grow the sprouts yourself too? No way sprouts this fresh came off a ship!"

Wufei nodded. "Yes, I grow them in jars."

Duo nodded. "Solo used to do that too, it was good for us since they didn't need light…. Well, it was good until the beans ran out," Duo frowned before continuing. "That woman… Lady Une? She one of those horticulture people… whaddy call them, horticulturalists?"

"Yes horticulturalists. And no, not originally."

"So how'd a soldier end up locked up inna rose garden?"

"Lady Une served under Treize Kushrenada while they were both part of the S.A. When Treize defected, she followed. And when Treize was killed in action, she never recovered from the trauma of his death."

"And…?" Duo pushed. "Why the rose garden?"

"Treize spent long hours in the rose garden, he said that the roses helped him think. Une was often with him and he taught her how to care for the roses. Now that he is gone, the methodical nature of caring for the roses keeps her calm."

Duo considered Wufei's explanation for several moments. "So," he began deliberately, "Treize kept her calm?"

Wufei stiffened. "Yes."

"So she was always mentally instable?"

"Not mentally…" Wufei responded reluctantly. "She was… emotionally unpredictable. It became worse after Treize's death."

"I thought all those _flaws_," Duo emphasized, "were corrected in vitro. 'Cause that woman isn't no UNDIS."

"All documented genetic flaws and weaknesses can be corrected-"

"Or 'f they can't, the embryo's destroyed and the couple is encouraged to stop tryin' or find different partners?" Duo finished for him.

"Yes." Wufei replied somberly. "But personality is harder to predict and modify. It is part genetic in origin but also influenced by environmental factors."

"So 's that the why you went all philosophical when ya said that the elimination of flaws isn't the same as perfection?"

"How much do you know about L5?" Wufei suddenly changed the topic.

"Huh?" Duo looked genuinely surprised. "Uh… well.. L5 was pretty isolated since the creation of the colonies right? Furthest from earth… mostly of Asian descent, especially ethic Chinese… oh… and it was a monarchy. Didn't have an UNDIS population and didn't have much to do with the S.A either… but the colony got blown up by the S.A. when they refused to come in line with the bastards… before the rebellion. Did I miss anythin'?"

"I think you touched on all the main points," Wufei replied wryly, looking both amused and exasperated at Duo's abbreviated history of L5 before his expression turned grave. "L5 was not destroyed by the S.A."

"What!?" Duo dropped his fork into his bowl with a splash.

"L5 self-destructed."

Duo stared at him, gaping.

"I should start at the beginning. _Advantaged_…" Wufei hesitated, as though trying to determine the best way to phrase his statement. "The technology to… produce _Advantaged_ originated in L5. Early on, we advocated for a policy of self-sufficiency on L5. We struggled initially, much of the colony was still under construction when our ancestors evacuated from earth. Living spaces were cramped, disease spread quickly in the low-gravity environment. Almost all resources were spent trying to stay one step ahead of disease and famine. And then the scientists came up with a solution. That focus was to be shifted to preventing disease; to prevent weaknesses that allowed the disease to thrive. Back on earth, genetic modifications on humans were considered unethical. With earth uninhabitable and the colony struggling to survive, however, most were able to overlook the ethical issue."

As Wufei spoke, Duo had picked up his fork and was poking at his food as he listened.

"Most of the human genome had already been mapped and people often screened themselves before conceiving children. Soon, however, screening became mandatory and individuals with incompatible genes or with hereditary genetic disorders were… _strongly discouraged_, from having children. This of course led to much… unhappiness… and well, it was not as effective as hoped. We ordered the scientists to find a way to modify embryos, to substitute faulty DNA with… well that is…"

"Non-faulty DNA?"

"To put it indelicately… yes."

"So you started screening for genetic defects and hereditary disease, what's the big deal?"

"It didn't stop there. Soon this genetic modification extended to select and substitute more… advantageous DNA."

"Hence, the _Advantaged_ and the _Disadvantaged_," Duo smiled without humour. "I still don't get what this has to do with the supposed self-destruction of L5 and the S.A. claiming responsibility for it… I mean… the S.A. was completely founded on the idea of having a purely _Advantaged_ human race!"

"Like you stated before, we were isolated and neutral. We had the first _Advantaged_ only population, the last so-called UNDIS on L5 passed away almost a century ago. Soon the other colonies began to take notice. They followed L5's model, started creating _Advantaged_ embryos. When the S.A. rose to power, we viewed it as step in the right direction. After all, what could be lost from elimination faulty genes from the rest of the remaining human population? When they started… implementing procedures-"

"Ya mean genocide?" Duo interjected, pushing his bowl away.

Wufei sighed and began clearing the dishes away. "Yes. Well, we turned a blind eye. We maintained our policy of isolation and self-sufficiency. We…" Wufei took a deep breath, "turned away UNDIS refugees, ignored their calls for help. We told them that we couldn't get involved either way. But in reality… we were proud, proud that the other colonies were following our lead, creating what we thought was a more… effective human race."

"Yeah well, don't beat yourself up," Duo muttered darkly, "L5 wasn't the only colony to turn us away. Still doesn't explain the whole BOOM! thing…"

Wufei shut the door to the dishwashing unit and took a deep breath. "We were playing God with human evolution, we thought ourselves superior."

"Right and…"

"We didn't just stop with the alteration of human DNA."

"So?" Duo shrugged. "The genetic modification of animals and plants' been goin' on for centuries now." A second later Duo turned ashen. "Splicing?"

Wufei nodded. "It was a logical progression. We began splicing in DNA from other sources."

"Shit!" Duo exclaimed. "Even the S.A. didn't go that far! That's just sick!"

Wufei shook his head. "The S.A. dabbled in splicing experiments as well, but there was a reason they never pursued it fully."

"And that is?"

"Emotional unpredictability and instability in products of genetic splicing."

Duo raised a brow.

"Even when the foreign gene is spliced successfully into a human's DNA, the body still inherently knows somehow that something is not right. Even now we have made little progress into the mysteries of the human psyche."

Duo blinked. "So… the population of L5 went bonkers?"

"Not quite. We were not completely blind to the threat posed by the S.A.. We knew that maintaining neutrality would not last forever. We began building our own army, an army consisting mainly of the products of genetic splicing. It soon became apparent, however, that it was a large and costly mistake. We began dismantling the army and discontinued splicing procedures. Some scientists disagreed however, they wanted to continue their research, they believed that these emotional problems could be overcome. They left L5 and joined the S.A."

"But the S.A…"

"Never condoned the practice of splicing publicly. Their more radical factions, however, pursued their own experiments with genetic splicing. And as the S.A.'s hold on power began to crumble, they began to see it as a feasible alternative to bolstering their armies. They also turned their attention to L5, intending to get L5's data and research into human genetic splicing."

"I shoulda guessed they'd stoop that low… after all, we know that they made damn bionics and planned a biological attack on Sanq…"

"The S.A. demanded that we surrender our research into genetic splicing or face an outright invasion. We were at an impasse, we had did not have the army to repel an attack but at the very end," Wufei laughed bitterly, "we decided to draw a moral line."

"So you guys decided to blow yourselves up?"

"Did you not try to do something similar?"

Duo shrugged. "Why'd those bastards take credit?"

"They may not have gotten what they wanted, but they would be fools not claim responsibility. After all, the destruction of L5 cemented their power for several more years."

"Yeah, suppose so." Duo sat back and rubbed his chin. "So.. uh, not to be mean or anything, why're you still… eerr.. around?"

"I was studying at Sanq University at the time."

"What about all that isolation mumbo jumbo?"

"Every year, several… of us were sent abroad to further our education. We may have practiced a policy of isolation, but we knew it was important to keep knowledgeable about the other colonies."

"All the other colonies?"

"In recent years, it was only L4 and L1."

"No shit," Duo snorted. "Hell, I don't think we ever had any universities on L2."

"So you were in Sanq when L5…" Duo trailed off.

"Yes."

"Hmmm. So.. yer a Long eh?"

Wufei stilled in shock. "What?" he blurted out.

"The Long Clan ruled L5… or did I get that wrong?"

"Yes, but how did you-"

"Ya kept using the 'royal we'. Plus, ya were here studyin' abroad. I'm guessin' ony the elite had that privilege. Not ta mention the guilt that's just pouring off ya in waves."

Wufei smiled bitterly. "I cannot refute your deduction. I am… no I was the heir to the Long Clan."

Duo whistled lowly. "A prince eh? That's somethin'!"

"Was" Wufei emphasized.

"Nah, ya still are. Yer still alive aren't ya?"

Wufei remained silent.

"So… is Sally from L5 too?"

Wufei shook his head. "No, Sally is from L1. Her maternal line is descended from a group of migrants that opposed L5's isolationist and traditionalist policies."

"Huh." Duo rocked back in his chair as he pondered something else.

"Ya said the S.A. took up genetic splicing?"

Wufei nodded, unsure of where Duo's train of thought was headed.

"Is Lady Une one of them? Ya did say she was 'emotionally unpredictable' even before that Kushrenada guy died."

"No!" Wufei answered quickly before sighing. "Yes… she is the result of one of their more… successful experiments."

"What'd they splice her with?"

"Wolf DNA."

Duo just about fell out of his chair. "Wolf? Ha! Were they tryin' make werewolves or somethin'?"

"No, nothing as fantastical as that. They were trying to create unfailingly loyal soldiers, soldiers that would never disobey or question an order. They were trying to replicate the pack mentality and loyalty of wolves. Unfortunately, trying to tamper with personality traits led to the mostly unstable individuals…"

"So what made her different?"

"Treize. He was able to bring her under control."

"Musta had a big personality… ego too…"

"Why do you say that?"

"Every pack's gotta have an Alpha," Duo shrugged. "A group's only as strong as its leader. And most S.A. bastards were shit leaders, entitled but cowardly lil' shits. I bet those _failed experiments_ ate them alive," Duo grinned before his mouth downturned into a grimace. "Still, that is some fucked up shit… trying to alter human DNA like that… Hey!" Duo sat up straight as a thought occurred to him. "Ya don't think those bionics could have spliced DNA too? I mean, the one was all psycho and stuff!"

Wufei nodded. "The thought had occurred to us as well. Adding bionic parts would take a severe toll on the human body, most probably wouldn't survive the procedures unless they presented with some genetic abnormality…"

"Which explains why all the experiments in the L2 lab," Duo forced the words past his constricting throat, "didn't survive… or didn't survive for long…."

Wufei shook his head. "We have no proof to support that theory, however. Also, from what we were able to piece together from the S.A.'s research data retrieved from L2 indicates that the bionics program was started relatively recently, only in the last five years or so. Splicing is done at the embryonic stage, with a particular set of physical or psychological traits as the objective. The bionics you encountered were grown men, making highly unlikely that they are also in possession of spliced DNA."

"Yeah…" Duo nodded. "Unless their spliced DNA had traits that made 'em ideal for turnin' into bionics… Say, what other traits did the S.A. splice into their sick experiments?"

"Traits that would be advantageous in combat," Wufei answered after a long silence. "I would rather not speak of the specifics."

"That bad?" Duo wondered.

"Tea?" Wufei asked, standing to clear the table.

"Sure," Duo answered, sensing that Wufei no longer wanted to continue their current topic of conversation. He wanted to push the Chinese man for more information, but knew that it would most likely be futile. Instead, he stood from his seat and returned to the living room, thinking it wise to give the Chinese agent some space.

* * *

><p>Dorothy pulled off her gloves and dropped them on the floor in distaste. "Those peace-loving fools, glorifying that doddering old man… that stubborn, tight-lipped old man!" With another irritated yank, she shed her coat and tossed it on the floor, her evening dress following suit. Dressed only in her slip, she pulled on the silk robe laid out carefully on her bed.<p>

"Enter!" Dorothy commanded after a timid knock at the door. "Hang up my clothes, I don't want any wrinkles," she ordered as the maid stepped into the room with a small curtsey. "And bring me a nightcap, leave it on the nightstand. I'll be in the study."

"Should I not bring it to the study instead?" The maid asked hesitantly.

"I said, leave it on the nightstand!" Dorothy snapped at the cowering maid. "I'll be making a call. Don't you dare interrupt me! You can be replaced easily you know!"

"Yes Ms. Catalonia, please forgive my rudeness," the maid answered meekly, gathering up the discarded clothes with haste. Dorothy didn't give the woman a second glance as she left her room and stalked down the hallway towards the study. Once inside, she sat behind the large mahogany desk and switched on the vidphone. She typed a few numbers into the phone and waited until the screen prompted her for a password. Her fingers flew across the keypad once again and the vidphone beeped once and the words "message transmitted" flashed across the screen before it went dark.

Dorothy sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers under her chin, waiting. A few minutes later the vidphone began to ring. She sprang forward eagerly to answer, but stopped herself at the last second, forcing herself to sit back and let vidphone ring. Finally, after five rings, she leaned forward and answered the call.

"You better not be wasting my time again," the caller spoke first, the vidscreen remaining dark.

"You were eager enough to call back," Dorothy commented with a smirk.

"Don't think that smile of yours is fooling me. The twins' failure rests on your head, not mine."

"You seem to be forgetting that the twins were needed due to your utter failure at retrieving the data from City Hall-"

"-because you failed to take care of the guards!"

Dorothy's eyebrows creased in fury but instead of lashing out, she lowered her voice to a purr. "We can play this game all night, or you can help me solve a puzzle; a puzzle that if solved, has the potential of benefiting us both."

There was a long pause before the male voice answered. "I'm listening."

"Did you come across someone named 'Duo' while you were at the Preventers?"

"First or last name?" the voice asked.

"I don't know."

"I can't find his name in the Preventers' database. My sources are week old though so he or she may be a new hire… or one of their classified agents, I was able to ascertain that they existed, but I never got as far as discovering their identities."

"It's a shame you're no longer imbedded in the organization," Dorothy couldn't resist quipping.

"No thanks to the twins," the voice turned dark.

"That was all Grandpapa I'm afraid."

"Never mind that, what's the significance of this 'Duo'?"

"Apparently he's someone of significance to Heero Yuy."

The man on the line whistled lowly. "You're thinking that this 'Duo' character might be one of the Gundam Ten?"

"Possibly. But I don't limit your search to just the Preventers-"

"You don't need to tell me how to do my job," the voice interrupted. "I'll contact you once I've found something."

"You sound confident," Dorothy remarked.

"Duo is an uncommon name, as long as it's not a codename or a handle, it shouldn't take too long to track down all Duos in the system."

"And what if he…"

"…or she…"

"Fine, what if _he or she_ isn't in the system?"

"Everyone's in the system, it's just a matter of finding them," the voice answered in a matter of fact tone. "Let's just hope for your sake that this 'Duo' doesn't turn out to be a _she_. After all, don't you have orders to have Heero Yuy and Relena Peacecraft enter into a companionship?" the voice mocked.

"Just get me the information. Once I know who 'Duo' is, I can determine whether or not I need to deal with them."

"Ruthless as always," the voice laughed before the line went dead.

"Ruthless?" Dorothy spoke to the empty room. "I like to call it efficient."

Dorothy stepped out into the hallway and stepped sedately back to her room only to be interrupted by a voice from the staircase.

"Dorothy?" Duke Dermail stood at the top of the stairs, clothed in a velvet robe, a glass of port in one hand.

"Yes Grandpapa?" Dorothy struggled but managed to keep her irritation in check.

"How are things progressing between that girl and Heero Yuy?"

"Things are running smoothly Grandpapa. Ms. Relena is smitten with Heero Yuy."

"And yet, I hear that you have not managed to establish Heero Yuy as that girl's personal guard."

"Ms. Noin insisted that Heero Yuy could not be engaged solely for the purposes of Ms. Relena's security."

"Unacceptable!" Duke Dermail bellowed. "You must do better than that! That woman should be no match for you!"

"Dear Grandpapa, haven't you always said the best way to control a situation is to make the other party feel like they're in control?"

Hearing these words, the Duke's anger began to ebb. "Go on."

"Ms. Noin has conceded that Mr. Yuy's services can be engaged for public and official functions. Now it is simply a matter of increasing the number of Ms. Relena's public engagements."

"I suppose that will be a suitable solution for the time being…" The Duke took a sip from the crystal glass in his hand. "I know you have your misgivings Dorothy, but yours is an assignment of outmost importance. That girl is closet thing Heero Yuy has to a weakness, we must make her his true weakness. With her as his weakness, we have the advantage of taking down both the symbol of the rebellion and the pillar of peace. With those two gone, we can cement our power once more. You do understand how key these two players are to the game, don't you Dorothy?"

"Of course Grandpapa," Dorothy replied with false sincerity.

"Good. Goodnight child, we have much work ahead of us."

"Yes Grandpapa, good night."

Dorothy shut her bedroom door firmly and stalked to the nightstand, grabbing the small tumbler throwing back its contents in a single gulp. "Stupid old fool. He thinks he's killing two birds with one stone when he's really using four… so inefficient. It's so much easier to find a weakness than it is to create one, so much cleaner and effective."

Setting the tumbler back on the nightstand, she climbed into bed, pulled the covers up to her chin and then lay back, arms crossed, eyes staring up at the ceiling.

* * *

><p>"Thanks again for dinner," Duo thanked the Chinese man as they pulled into the underground parking complex of the WEI building. "And thanks for loaning me this. Ya sure it's ok for me to borrow it?" Duo asked as he held up the book he had been examining earlier at Wufei's apartment.<p>

"Yes," Wufei nodded. "That particular edition has never been digitalized. You may also find the notes in the margin useful; the book has passed through many hands."

"Wouldn't that make it real valuable?"

"Knowledge is meant to be shared," Wufei replied simply. "Just… keep the book away from your animal."

"Yep, I'll make sure I take good care o' it," Duo grinned as Wufei pulled into a space next to the elevator and he climbed out of the passenger seat, book in one hand, Scraps' carrier and his duffle in the other.

"Hey, can I ask ya somethin'?" Duo turned back to face the Chinese agent.

"What is it?"

"Why do you feel so guilty? I mean, most of the stuff that happened on L5 was before ya were even born, and even then, it's not yer fault… I mean… it was those S.A. bastards that committed genocide…"

"What makes you think I act out of guilt?"

"Yer a prince! I mean, even if yer colony got blown up, it's not like it made ya penniless. An' ya could be usin' yer status, I mean, look at all 'em aristocrats that crawled outta the woodwork after the rebellion! But instead, yer livin' the life of a nobody… well, wait that's not a good word for it… but ye know what I mean right? Othe than yer books, you're livin' like an average joe!"

Wufei smiled tightly. "Nothing escapes you does it? But it is not guilt… it is penance."

"Penance?"

"Yes penance for my inaction."

"Inaction? For what? I mean," Duo glanced around the empty parking structure and whispered, "ya helped end S.A. rule! What the hell ya gotta pay penance for?"

Wufei sighed deeply. "My inaction caused the death of my wife."

Duo's eyes went round. "Wife?"

"Yes."

"Uh… not Sally?"

"No… I was married before the rebellion. My wife was one of the very few who believed we should fight back against the S.A., even before the S.A. turned their attention to L5. I dismissed her views as childish and fanciful. I failed to see that she would take action until it was too late."

"Oh," Duo blinked, not entirely sure that he understood Wufei's narrative. "Uh… I'm sorry for your loss?"

"Thank you," Wufei replied simply but Duo could hear the tightly controlled sorrow in his voice.

"Well uh.. thanks for tellin' me about your past an all too."

"You have told me much of your past, it only seems fair that I tell you part of mine." Wufei cleared his throat. "Contact me when you have finished with the book. I would be happy to lend you another."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Duo grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "Tell Sally I said hi and that the treatments she prescribed are workin', I'll feelin' a lot better now."

"Sally will be pleased to hear that," Wufei nodded.

"Ok, well see ya around!" Duo slammed the passenger door shut and made his way over to the elevator. Minutes later he unlocked the door to his apartment with a sigh of relief.

"Well, we had quite a day, didn't we Scraps?" he spoke to his furry friend as he unzipped the ferret's carrier.

Scraps shot out of carrier, happy to be free at last. Duo let him roam as he entered his bedroom, dropped his duffle by the closet and carefully stowed away his borrowed book in a dresser drawer. Once he'd taken a quick shower, brushed his teeth and dressed in his sleepwear, he checked to make sure that Scraps' 'crib' had fresh water and pulled out some dry kibble. Hearing his food bowl being filled, Scraps appeared instantly.

Duo smiled to himself before crawling into bed and falling asleep within seconds.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Ok, the usual apologies for lack of updates. Hard to find time these days, also the story is being uncooperative every step of the way... Anyways, thanks for sticking around and reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter, light on the action but pretty heavy on backstories, hope it wasn't too heavyboring!_

_No real estimate on the next update. But not until May... AT LEAST. Sowwy..._

_Maririn_


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